7.^7' I 


4 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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Presented    by    Vv-(2yS>\  6\(Sr\V    V(:AVTOr~\ 


BV  4070  .M36b 

H34 

I  1893 

Halsey,  Leroy 

J. 

1812-1896. 

A  history  of 

the 

McCormick 

theological 

seminary  of  th< 

HON.   CYRUS  H.  McCORMICK. 


A  HISTORY 


OF 


The  McCorniick  Theological  Seinlnary 


OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 


LE  ROY  J.   HALSEY,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

Professor  Emeritus  of  Church  Government  and  the  Sacraments  in  the  Semi- 
nary.    Author  of  ''  Literary  Attractions  of  the  Bible," ''  Living 
Christianity."  ''  Scotland's  Influence  on  Civilization," 
"  Beauty  of  Immanuel,"  etc. 


Chicago: 
published  by  the  seminary 

1893 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1893,  by 

The  Trustees  of  The  McConuick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Trom  Press  of 

K^ht,  I>ponar<l  k  Co. 

I'hicsKu 


PREFACE. 


The  documentary  authorities  consulted  in  the  preparation 
of  this  history  are  severally  referred  to  in  the  foot-notes  of  the 
volume.  They  consist  chiefly  of  the  annual  published  Minutes 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church;  the 
Record  Books  of  the  Faculty,  Directors  and  Trustees  of  the 
Seminary,  at  Hanover,  New  Albany  and  Chicago  ;  the  public 
magazines,  reviews  and  newspapers  of  the  period ;  and  occa- 
sional pamphlets  and  addresses  by  prominent  individuals. 
For  the  historical  facts  prior  to  the  year  1859,  '^^e  author  has 
been  largely  indebted  to  three  sources  in  addition  to  the 
Record  Books  ;  first,  to  a  manuscript  volume  entitled  "  His- 
torical Sketch  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,"  prepared  by  Rev.  James  Wood,  D.D.,  a  professor 
in  the  Seminary  during  its  earlier  periods  ;  second,  to  Dr.  John 
Finley  Crowe's  pamphlet,  *'  An  Appeal  for  Hanover  College," 
addressed  to  the  churches  of  Indiana  and  published  in  1858  ; 
and  third,  to  a  "  Historical  Discourse  ''  delivered  by  Rev. 
Jonathan  Edwards,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  in  Chicago  in  1876  at  the 
dedication  of  the  Seminary  Chapel,  and  published  that  year. 

In  addition  to  the  material  derived  from  these  more  public 
authorities,  the  author  has  received,  through  private  corre- 
spondence, much  valuable  information  from  prominent  gentle- 
men closely  associated  at  different  times  with  the  work  of  the 
Seminary  and  cognizant  of  its  affairs.  Among  those  to  whom 
he  is  thus  indebted  may  be  mentioned  Rev.  Daniel  Stewart,. 
D.D.,  a  professor  in  the  institution  while  it  was  at  New 
Albany,  and  Rev.  John  M.  Stevenson,  D.D.,  one  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  at  the  same  place  ;  Rev.  John  M.  Worrall,  D.D., 
of  New  York,  one  of  the  early  alumni,  and  Rev.  John  Crozier, 
a  graduate  of  the  same  period  and  long  a  member  of  the 
Board    of  Directors  at  Chicago  ;    Rev.   Joshua   Phelps,  D.D., 


il  PREFACE. 

Charles  A.  Spring,  Esq.,  and  Rev.  Ebenezer  Erskine,  D.D., 
all  directors  of  the  Seminary  during  the  early  years  at  Chicago  ; 
Rev.  A.  Y.  Moore,  of  Hanover,  and  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Garritt, 
professor  in  Hanover  College  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  P.  Whallon, 
stated  clerk  of  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Charles 
Elliott,  formerly  a  professor  in  the  Seminary  at  Chicago  ;  Rev. 
John  M.  Paris,  long  a  director  and  financial  agent  of  the  Semi- 
nary ;  Rev.  Edward  P.  Wood,  son  of  Dr.  James  Wood  of  the 
earlier  period,  and  Rev.  John  H.  Thomas,  son  of  Dr.  Thomas 
E.  Thomas,  also  of  the  earlier  period. 

Besides  making  use  of  these  varied  sources  of  information, 
the  writer  of  this  volume,  having  been  for  thirty-four  years  a 
professor  in  the  institution  at  Chicago,  and  during  the  earlier 
period  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  New  Albany, 
has  been  enabled  in  many  cases  to  speak  from  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  events  and  changes  through  which  it  has  passed, 
and  from  intimate  acquaintance  with  most  of  the  men  who 
have  borne  a  prominent  part  in  the  making  of  its  history. 

It  has  been  thought  that,  in  addition  to  the  biographical 
sketches  scattered  here  and  there  through  the  volume,  the 
portraits  of  some  of  the  men  who  have  helped  to  make  the 
Seminary  would  contribute  to  its  interest.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  a  selection  had  to  be  made  among  both  professors, 
directors  and  trustees.  Some,  therefore,  will  doubtless  be 
missed  from  the  list  who  would  be  deemed  entitled  to  an  equal 
place  with  the  others  in  point  of  ability,  zeal  and  faithful  ser- 
vice to  the  Seminary. 

It  is  due  to  the  author  to  state  that  the  preparation  of  this 
book  was  not  a  self-imposed  task  oA  his  part,  but  that  on  the 
contrary  he  entered  upon  the  work  at  his  advanced  age  with 
extreme  reluctance.  That  he  should  undertake  it  was  sug- 
gested and  urged  by  warm  friends  of  the  Seminary  w'ho,  having 
a  deep  interest  in  the  institution,  wished  to  see  its  history 
preserved,  and  who  considered  that  he,  as  one  who  had  known 
that  history  intimately  since  an  early  period,  was  peculiarly 
qualified  to  do  the  work.  So,  although  considerably  past  the 
Scriptural  limit  of  three-score  years  and  ten.  he  felt  that  he 
could  not  well  set  aside  the  urgent  appeal  of  these  friends,  and 


PREFACE.  Ill 

what  seemed  to  him  like  the  voice  of  Providence,  and  therefore 
he  began  the  preparation  of  this  history,  which  now  in  his  eighty- 
second  year  he  sends  to  the  press,  having  revised  it  down  to 
date.  His  aim  has  been  to  recall  in  a  perspicuous  narrative  an 
important  period  in  the  history  of  Christian  education,  and  to 
preserve  for  those  who  come  after  a  living  account  of  the  labors 
and  sacrifices  of  the  pioneers  in  a  noble  undertaking.  To  thus 
gather  up  the  finished  record  of  the  Seminary  to  which  he  has 
given  so  many  years  of  loving  service  has  been  to  him  the 
crowning  satisfaction  of  a  long  life,  and  the  book  is  now  sent 
forth  in  order  that  men  may  not  despise  the  day  of  small 
things,  out  of  which  has  come  forth  one  of  the  most  fully 
equipped  theological  seminaries  in  our  land. 

LE  ROY  J.  HALSEY. 

McCoRMicK  Seminary,  Chicago, 
May  ist,  1893. 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction.  --.--_-_-       xxiii-xxiv 

CHAPTER  I. 
Introductory  Outline  of  the  History— 1825-1893.  -  -  1-12 
History  of  the  Seminary  under  Different  Names.  Its  Several  Changes. 
Its  Original  Design.  True  to  its  Appointed  Mission.  Identified 
with  Theological  Education  in  the  West  and  Northwest.  Its  Event- 
ful Career.  Its  Long  Delayed  Success.  Its  Present  Assured  Posi- 
tion. Its  Three  Locations.  Permanent  Home  at  Chicago.  Early 
Origin  m  Southern  Indiana.  Sixty  Years  Ago.  Small  Beginnings 
at  Hanover.  Connection  with  Hanover  College.  Other  Incipient 
Institutions.  State  of  the  Country  at  that  Time.  Hardy  Pioneers. 
Growth  of  the  Church  and  Country.  Population  of  the  New  States. 
God's  Providence  Seen  in  this  History.  Theological  Seminaries  at 
Chicago.  Many  Laborers  in  the  Work.  One  Spirit  in  all  the 
History.  List  of  the  Early  Instructors.  Their  Distinguished  Record. 
The  Present  Faculty.  The  Alumni  of  the  Institution.  Their  Useful 
Work.  Special  Examples.  Dr.  Edwards's  Eulogium.  Two  Im- 
portant Facts.     Reasons  for  this  History. 

CHAPTER  II. 
Organization  and  Growth  at  Hanover— 1825-1839.  -  -  13-29 
Beginnings  at  Hanover.  College  and  Seminary  Together.  Dr. 
Edwards's  Description.  Rev.  John  Finley  Crowe.  His  Appeal  to 
the  Churches.  Salem  Presbytery.  The  Little  Grammar  School. 
Revival  in  the  Church  at  Hanover,  Dr.  Crowe,  Pastor  and  Teacher. 
The  Academy  Chartered.  Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Indiana.  Theo- 
logical Department.  Dr.  John  Matthews  Elected.  Hanover  College. 
Dr.  James  Blythe  Elected.  Dr.  James  Wood  Elected.  Inaugura- 
tion of  Dr.  Matthews.  Other  Professors  Elected.  Their  Character 
and  Attainments.  Portraiture  of  Dr.  Matthews.  His  Eminent 
Ability.  Satisfactory  Progress  of  the  Institution.  The  Location  at 
Hanover.  A  Better  Location  Contemplated.  Why  Separate  from 
the  College.  Fundamental  Idea  of  the  American  College.  Import- 
ance of  Hanover  College.  First  Decade  of  Growth.  Service  Ren- 
dered by  it  to  the  Church.  Its  Subsequent  Progress.  Its  Successive 
Presidents.  Its  Alumni.  Its  Liberal  Donors.  Tribute  to  Dr.  Crowe 
and  Others.     The   Directors  of  the  Seminary.     First   Meeting  of 


VI  CONTENTS. 

their  Board.     Its  Presidents.     Character  of  its  Members.     Work  of 
the  Seminary  and  College.     Their  Mutual  Relation. 

CHAPTER  III. 
Removal  to  Nkw  Albany,  Indiana— 1840-1851.  -  -  -  30-54 
A  New  Location  Needed.  Convention  of  1838.  New  Albany  Chosen 
as  the  Place.  Reasons  Determining  the  Choice.  Policy  of  a  Union 
Seminary.  Donation  of  Mr.  Elias  Avers.  His  Letter  to  the  Board 
Accepted  by  the  Directors.  Their  Work  of  Revision.  Accepted  by 
the  Synod.  Two  Professors,  Drs.  Matthews  and  Wood,  Elected. 
Removed  to  New  Albany  in  1840.  Charter  of  Incorporation.  Con- 
stitution of  the  Seminary.  Efficient  Agency  of  Dr.  Wood.  Donation 
of  Mrs.  Ayers.  Eight  Years'  Administration  of  Drs.  Matthews  and 
Wood.  Small  Salaries.  Much  Work.  Efforts  of  Dr.  Wood  at  the 
East  for  the  Seminary.  Death  of  Dr.  Matthews  in  1848.  His  Life 
Work.  Success  as  a  Theological  Teacher.  Other  Professors  Chosen. 
Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice  Elected.  Dr.  Erasmus  D.  MacMaster  Elected. 
Dr.  Daniel  Stewart  a  Professor.  Dr.  Philip  Lindsley  Elected.  Dr. 
Wood's  Resignation.  Partial  Prosperity  of  the  Institution,  The 
Work  of  Instruction  Well  Done.  Eminent  Ability  of  Dr.  MacMaster. 
Prejudice  Against  Him.  His  Vindication.  Drs.  Breckenridge  and 
Humphrey.  Dr.  Lindsley's  Connection  with  the  Seminary.  His 
Writings  and  Scholarship. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  New  Seminary  at  Danville,  Ky.— 1852-1853.  -  -  -  55-69 
Effect  of  Locating  the  Danville  Seminary.  Results  Accomplished 
at  New  Albany.  The  Seminary  at  Allegheny,  Pa.  Movement  for 
a  Seminary  at  Cincinnati,  by  Dr.  Rice.  Not  Satisfied  with  New 
Albany.  Proposed  Transfer  to  the  General  Assembly.  Professors 
at  New  Albany  Resign.  Action  of  the  Seven  Synods  on  the  Ques- 
tion of  a  New  Location.  Strong  Movement  in  Kentucky  for  a 
Seminary  at  Danville.  Memorial  of  the  New  Albany  Directors 
and  Trustees.  No  Transfer  of  Location  Proposed  by  Them.  Only 
a  Transfer  of  Control.  The  Kentucky  Proposition  to  the  Assembly. 
What  it  Involved.  Action  of  the  Assembly.  Danville  Chosen  as 
the  Place  for  a  New  Seminary.  A  New  Faculty  and  New  Board 
of  Directors  Elected.  Danville  Seminary  Organized.  Professors 
Inaugurated.  Successful  Opening.  First  Ypars  of  its  History. 
Disappointment  at  New  Albany.  Action  of  its  Directors  and 
Trustees.  Effect  on  the  Synods.  Indignant  Protest  of  Dr.  Mac- 
Master.  Resolution  of  the  Directors  to  Continue  the  Seminary  at 
New  Albany. 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Seminary  Question  Reopened— i 854-1856.       -       -       -       70-90 
The  Location  at  Danville  not  Satisfactory  to  the  Northwest.     Re- 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

versal  of  Policy.  What  was  to  be  Done  at  New  Albany.  The 
Whole  Problem  Reopened.  A  Protest.  Dr.  Rice's  Position.  Four 
Synods  North  of  the  Ohio.  Frfends  of  New  Albany  not  Satisfied. 
Two  Seminaries  too  near  Together.  Dr.  Wood's  Opinion.  The. 
New  Albany  Professors  Reappointed.  Efforts  to  Sustain  the  New 
Albany  Seminary.  Action  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1854,  The. 
Seminary  at  New  Albany  Reopened.  Its  Career  Under  Difficulties. 
Partial  Success.  Too  Far  from  its  Proper  Field.  A  Removal 
Farther  to  the  Northwest  Necessary.  Reasons  for  Chicago  as  the 
Location.  Circular  Address  from  Professors  and  Others.  Chicago 
Indicated  as  the  Proper  Place.  Hearty  Agreement  of  all  the  North- 
western Synods  on  Chicago,  Synodical  Constitution.  Meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  at  Chicago.  Faculty  Chosen.  Trustees 
Elected.  Legal  Charter.  Students  Educated  at  New  Albany. 
Members  of  the  Synodical  Board.  Work  of  the  Two  Professors. 
Their  Relations  to  the  Seminary.  Brief  Memorial  on  the  Life  and 
Services  of  Dr.  Thomas. 

CHAPTER  VL 
Proposed  Transfer  to  the  General  Assembly— 1857-1859.  -  91-105 
Disturbing  Elements.  The  Slavery  Question.  State  of  the  Country. 
A  Paper  from  Dr.  MacMaster.  Election  of  Dr.  Rice  as  Professor. 
Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Synodical  and  Assembly  Con- 
trol. A  Partial  Transfer  to  the  General  Assembly.  Action  of  the 
Seven  Synods  on  the  Subject.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 
Proposed  Transfer.  The  General  Assembly  of  1859.  Difficulties 
of  the  Question.  Drs.  Rice  and  MacMaster.  Their  Recognized 
Ability.  Their  Leadership.  Their  Antagonistic  Positions.  Their 
Agreement  and  Divergence.  Bitter  Personal  Controversy.  Dr. 
Rice's  Pamphlet.  Dr.  MacMaster's  Letters.  [Effect  on  the  Semi- 
nary. Impression  on  the  Church.  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer's  Opinion. 
Testimonial  of  the  Board  to  Dr.  MacMaster.  Dr.  MacMaster  Set 
Aside  for  the  Time.  His  Influence  not  Destroyed.  Vindicated  by 
Subsequent  Events,    Assembly  Control  Desired. 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Reorganized  by  the  General  Assembly— 1859.  -  -  106-124 
Mr.  McCormick's  Offer  to  the  Assembly  of  1859.  Its  Influence  on 
that  Body.  Character  of  the  Assembly,  Mr.  McCormick's  Charac- 
ter and  Position.  His  Views  in  Making  this  Donation.  His  Letter 
Proposing  it.  Other  Offers  to  the  Assembly.  Two  Locations  Pro- 
posed. Various  Tenders  of  Land  and  Money.  Last  Meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Its  Action  on  the  Transfer  to  the  Assembly. 
Action  of  the  Synods.  Papers  Laid  before  the  Assembly.  Resolu- 
tions Accepting  Mr.  McCormick's  Proposal.  Vote  of  Thanks.  Drs. 
Rice  and  MacMaster.     Election  of  Four  Professors.     New  Board  of 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Directors  Appointed.  Importance  of  the  Assembly's  Action.  Unan- 
imity on  the  Final  Decision.  How  Received  by  the  Church.  Opin- 
ions of  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer  and  Dr.  Hodge.  Mr.  McCormick  and 
Dr.  Rice.  Dr.  MacMaster's  Speech  in  the  Assembly.  Severely 
Criticised  and  Condemned.    His  Able  Vindication. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  New  Departure  at  Chicago— 1859.  -  -  -  -  125-135 
First  Meeting  of  the  New  Board  of  Directors.  Organization  of  the 
Board.  The  Old  Board  of  Trustees  Recognized.  Changes  in  that 
Board.  The  Legal  and  Ecclesiastical  Succession.  In  What  Sense 
New  and  Old.  Judge  Scates's  Opinion.  General  Assembly  of  1864. 
Action  of  the  New  Albany  Trustees.  An  Amicable  Civil  Suit. 
Executive  Committee  Appointed.  Salary  of  the  Professors.  Pastoral 
Work  Allowed.  Agents  to  Raise  Funds.  Day  for  Opening  the 
Seminary.  Day  for  Inaugurating  the  Professors  Appointed.  Circu- 
lar Address  to  the  Churches.  Acceptance  by  the  Four  Professors 
Announced.  Building  Secured  for  the  New  Seminary.  Compli- 
mentary Notices.  First  Meeting  of  the  Session.  Number  of  Stu- 
dents in  Attendance.  Their  Studies  Commenced.  Their  Comfort- 
able Quarters.     Professors  and  Students. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Inauguration  of  the  Four  Professors— 1859.  -  -  -  136-145 
Interest  of  the  Occasion.  The  Old  North  Church.  Sermon  of  Dr. 
Brown.  Charge  of  Dr.  Wilson.  The  Pledge  Administered.  Re- 
view of  the  History.  Inaugural  Addresses  of  Drs.  Rice  and  Lord. 
Like  Addresses  of  Drs.  Halsey  and  Scott.  Resume  of  these  Dis- 
courses. Passages  from  Drs.  Halsey  and  Scott.  Dr.  Rice's  Compli- 
mentary Notice.  Eloquent  Peroration  of  Dr.  Scott.  Publication  of 
the  Addresses  and  Charge.  A  Site  for  the  Seminary  Fixed  Upon. 
The  Ground  on  which  it  Now  Stands.  Thanks  of  the  Board  to  the 
Liberal  Donors.  Foundation  of  a  Library  Secured  through  Mr. 
Corning.  His  Name  given  to  the  Library.  Mr.  IV'icCormick's  Name 
assigned  to  the  Chair  of  Theology.  Minute  of  the  Board  on  the 
Subject. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Unexpected  Changes  and  Trials— 1859-1861.  -  -  -  146-160 
The  Opening  Session  of  1859.  Character  of  the  Professors.  Their 
Vigorous  Activity.  Success  of  the  Agents  in  the  Field.  Signs  of 
Opposition.  Want  of  Co-operation  and  Sympathy  in  Some  of  the 
Synods.  Unfavorable  Synodical  Action.  Opposition  of  the  Secu- 
lar Press.  The  Slavery  Question,  Dr.  Rice's  Lectures  on  Slavery. 
Masterly  Argument.  Letter  of  Dr.  Joshua  Phelps.  His  Efficient 
Services  in  the  Board.    Letter  of  Mr.  Charles  A.  Spring.    Resignation 


CONTENTS.  IX 

of  Dr.  N.  L.  Rice.  A  Serious  Calamity  to  the  Seminary.  Feeling 
of  his  Colleagues  on  the  Subject.  Reason  of  his  Decision  to  Resign. 
Removal  to  New  York.  Minute  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Dr. 
Rice  and  Mr.  McCormick.  A  Second  Loss  to  the  Faculty.  Dr. 
Scott's  Failing  Health.  Suspension  of  Labor.  Removal  to  Prince- 
ton, N.  J.  Dr.  Scott's  Death.  Minute  of  Board  of  Directors  on 
Dr.  Scott.     His  Scholarship  and  Character. 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Work  of  the  Two  Remaining,  Professors— 1861-1863.  -  161-177 
Prospects  of  the  Seminary  in  1861.  Number  of  Students.  Dr. 
Krebs  of  New  York  Elected.  He  Declines.  Drs.  Lord  and  Hal- 
sey  Take  the  Four  Chairs.  Rev.  J.  D.  Pering,  Assistant.  Ar- 
rangement of  the  Double  Work.  Mr.  McCormick  and  the  Endow- 
ment. Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Action  of  the  Trustees. 
Discouragements  to  the  }?rofessors.  Small  Classes.  Effect  of  the 
War  on  the  Seminary.  Examinations  Sustained.  Graduates  Each 
Year.  Testimonial  to  the  Work  of  the  Professors.  T*heir  Reduced 
Compensation.  Why  Salaries  Reduced.  Spirit  of  the  Two  Pro- 
fessors. Their  Donations  to  the  Seminary.  Minutes  of  the  Board 
of  Directors.  Good  Results.  How  Reached.  The  Law  of  Christian 
Work.  Another  Professor  Elected.  Dr.  Charles  Elliott.  His  In- 
auguration. Lamented  Death  of  Dr.  J.  C.  Brown.  Dr.  Nathan  L. 
Rice.  His  Services  to  the  Seminary.  His  Prominence  in  the  Church. 
His  Multiplied  Labors.     His  Character  and  Ability.    Close  of  His 

Useful  Life. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  First  Seminary  Building  Erected— i 863-1 864.  -  -  178-188 
Important  Changes  in  1863.  Services  of  Mr.  Ewing.  A  Difficult 
Undertaking.  Conditions  to  be  Fulfilled.  Limits  in  Time  of  Build- 
ing. An  Extension  of  Time  Asked  and  Granted.  Action  of  Board 
of  Directors.  Obstacles  Caused  by  the  War.  Mr.  Ewing  Appointed 
Agent.  Visits  New  York.  Confers  with  Mr.  Sheffield.  Favorable 
Results.  New  York  and  Dr.  Rice.  Success  of  Mr.  Ewing  in  Raising 
Sufficient  Money  for  a  Building.  Renewed  Offers  of  the  Land  by 
the  Original  Donors.  Another  Offer  of  a  Site  at  Hyde  Park.  Action 
of  Board  of  Directors.  Mr.  Ewing  Secures  the  Original  Donation. 
Sheffield  and  Ogden.  Lill  and  Diversy  Renew  Their  Gift.  Ac- 
cepted by  the  Board.  The  Building  Begun.  Finished  by  the  Close 
of  1863.  Occupied  by  the  Seminary  in  February,  1864.  A  Great 
Boon  to  the  Seminary.  Debt  of  Gratitude  to  Mr.  Ewing.  Thanks 
of  the  Board.    Joy  of  Students  and   Professors.     Incident  of  Mr. 

Vance 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Scholarships  Founded  and  Library  Increased— 1861-1864.    189-200 

Need  of  Scholarship  Funds.     Individual  Helpers.    A  Safe  Invest- 


X  CONTENTS. 

ment.  Early  Foundations.  Whole  Number  F'ounded.  How  the 
Students  are  Aided,  The  First  Scholarships.  Foundation  of  the 
Library.  Mr.  Corning,  Dr.  Brown  and  Dr.  Phillips.  Accession  of 
the  New  Albany  Library.  A  Suit  Instituted  for  It.  Judge  Scates's 
Complaint  in  Court.  Answer  of  Defendants.  Claim  of  Mrs.  Rich- 
ardson. Hanover  College.  Replication.  Consent  of  All  the  Parties. 
Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Final  Decree  of  the  United  States 
Court.  Committee  to  Divide  the  Assets.  All  Debts  Paid.  The 
Division  of  the  Property.  The  Library  Received.  Its  Value. 
Whole  Number  of  Volumes  Addod.  All  Consolidated  in  One 
Library.  Present  Number  of  Volumes.  Legal  Succession  Estab- 
lished. 

CHAPTER 'XIV. 

Dr.  MacMaster  Recalled  to  Chair  of  Theology— 1866.  201-216 
General  Assembly  of  1866.  Vacant  Chair  of  Dr.  Rice.  Dr.  Mac- 
Master  Succeeds  to  It.  Causes  of  this  Restoration.  Proposed  Trans- 
fer of  Dr.  Lord.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Opposition  to 
the  Transfer.  Changes  in  the  Board  of  Directors.  Old  and  New 
Members.  New  Policy  Inaugurated.  Mr.  McCormick's  Views. 
His  Attendance  on  the  Assembly  of  1866.  His  Statement  for  the 
Assembly.  Why  Opposed  to  Dr.  Lord.  Dr.  MacMaster's  Seven 
Years'  Retirement.  Steadfast  Devotion  of  His  Friends.  Averse  to 
a  Nomination  for  Office.  His  Sterhng  Principles.  Change  ot  PubUc 
Opinion.  Triumph  of  the  Party  of  Freedom.  His  Old  Position  as 
to  Slavery  Sustained.  His  Unwillingness  to  be  Nominated  for  the 
Vacant  Chair.  His  Friends  Persevere.  Nominated  by  the  Assem- 
bly's Own  Committee.  Elected  Professor  Almost  Unanimously. 
Vote  of  Thanks  to  Dr.  Lord.  Dr.  MacMaster's  Letter  of  Accept- 
ance. His  Christian  Spirit.  His  Conciliatory  Disposition  Toward 
Former  Opponents. 

CHAPTER   XV. 

Dr.  MacMaster  and  Dr.  Wood— 1866- 1867.  -       -       -       217-234 

Auspicious  Opening  of  the  Session  of  1866.  Cordial  Welcome  to 
Dr.  MacMaster.  Increase  of  Students.  Inauguration  by  the  Board. 
Proposes  to  Found  a  Scholarship.  His  Christian  Spirit.  Illness 
and  Death.  Sad  Blow  to  the  Seminary.  His  Last  Sermon.  Last 
Lecture  to  the  Students.  Decisive  Testimony  for  Christ.  In  Full 
Possession  of  All  His  Faculties.  Dr.  Lord's  Account  of  His  Last 
Hours.  Messages  to  the  Students.  Impressive  Close  of  His  Life. 
Funeral  Services  and  Burial.  Action  of  the|Faculty.  Testimonial 
of  the  Students.  Outline  of  His  Ministerial  Career.  Minute  on 
his  Death  by  the  Board  of  Directors.  His  Eminent  Character  and 
Useful  Life.  Testimonial  to  Character  as  a  Public  Man  by  Dr. 
Stevenson.  Distinguished  as  Preacher,  Theological  Teacher  and 
Philanthropist.  Death  of  Dr.  James  Wood.  His  Connection  With 
the  Seminary.      One  of    Its  Early    Benefactors.      His    Ministerial 


CONTENTS.  xi 

Character.  Laborious  and  Useful  Life.  Financial  Services  to  the 
Seminary.  His  Work  of  Instruction.  His  Fields  of  Labor.  Inter- 
est in  Young  Men.     Testimonials  to  Ability  and  Excellence. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Transfer  of  Dr.  Lord  to  Chair  of  Theology— 1867-1868.  235-246 
The  Inner  and  Outer  Life  of  the  Seminary.  The  Course  of  Instruc- 
tion Satisfactory.  Parties  in  the  Church,  Divisions  among  Directors 
and  Trustees.  Season  of  Conflicting  Measures  after  Death  of  Dr. 
MacMaster.  Faculty  Request  Dr.  Lord  again  to  Teach  Chair  of 
Theology.  This  Action  Confirmed  by  Board  of  Directors.  General 
Assembly  of  1867  Elects  Dr.  Lord  to  Chair  of  Theology.  Action  of 
General  Assembly  as  to  Chair  of  History.  That  Chair  Supplied  by 
Drs.  Lord  and  Elliott.  Continued  Opposition  to  Dr.  Lord.  Dr. 
Blackburn  Elected  by  Assembly  of  1868  to  Chair  of  Biblical  and 
Ecclesiastical  History.  Inauguration  of  Dr.  Blackburn.  Action  of 
the  Board  of  Directors.  Mr.  McCormick  Called  on  for  his  Last  In- 
stallment. Mr.  McCormick's  Reasons  for  Declining  its  Payment. 
Correspondence  on  the  Subject. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
An  Investigation  Ordered  by  General  Assembly— 1869.  -  247-260 
Conflicting  Parties  in  the  Board  of  Directors.  Action  of  the  Trustees 
as  to  Dr.  Lord.  That  Action  Reversed  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 
Three  Trustees  Displaced  and  Others  Elected.  Two  Reports  Sent 
up  to  the  Assembly  of  1869.  Statement  of  the  Committee  on  Semi- 
naries. Resolutions  Proposed  to  the  Assembly.  No  Action  on 
the  Resolutions.  Committee  of  Investigation  Appointed.  Senator 
Charles  D.  Drake's  iMotion  Adopted.  Five  Commissioners  to  In- 
vestigate. Meeting  of  the  Commission.  Their  Work  at  Chicago. 
An  Amicable  Adjustment  Agreed  to.  The  Terms  of  That  Agree- 
ment. Report  of  Commission  to  Adjourned  Meeting  of  Assembly  in 
November,  1869.  Its  Articles  of  Agreement  Discussed.  Adopted  by 
the  Assembly.  Satisfactory  to  the  Church.  Opinions  of  the  Press 
on  the  Adjustment.     Mr.  McCormick's  Position  Sustained. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Results  of  the  Amicable  Adjustment— 1870-1872.  -  -  261-283 
Re-united  Church  of  1870,  Effect  on  the  Seminary.  Work  of 
Instruction  in  the  Seminary.  Letter  of  Dr.  Lord  to  the  Directors. 
Proposed  Resignation.  Accepted  by  the  Board  and  the  Assembly. 
Testimonial  to  his  Usefulness.  Success  as  a  Teacher.  Founder  of 
Fullerton  Avenue  Church.  His  Influence  on  the  Students.  Sketch 
of  His  Life.  His  Pastoral  Charges.  Widely  Extended  Ministry. 
His  Educational  Work.     Pioneer  Labors  at  the  West.     Busy  and 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

Useful  Life.  Declining  Years.  His  Peaceful  Death.  Two  Re- 
ports to  the  General  Assembly.  Action  of  the  Assembly.  The  Vacant 
Chair  of  Theology.  Filled  by  the  Other  Professors.  Dr.  Prentiss 
Elected  Professor.  New  Directors  Chosen.  Dr.  Prentiss  Declines. 
Mr.  McCormick's  Confidence  Restored.  His  New  Ofifer  of  Endow- 
ment. Effect  of  the  Chicago  Fire.  Dr.  Patton  Chosen  Professor. 
Endorsed  by  the  Assembly.  His  Inauguration.  Alterations  in  the 
Constitution  of  the  Seminary.  A  New  Chair  Created.  Dr.  Patter- 
son Elected  Professor.  His  Inauguration.  Death  of  Samuel  Howe. 
Tribute  to  His  Memory.  A  Model  Elder.  A  Sterling  Character. 
A  Noble  Life. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Second  Seminary  Building  Erected— 1872-1876.  -  284-297 
Chapel  and  Library  Building  Needed.  Action  of  Executive  Com- 
mittee. Action  of  Directors.  Other  Needs  of  the  Institution.  Sala- 
ries of  the  Professors.  Special  Agency  of  Charles  A.  Spring.  Rev. 
John  M.  Faris  Appointed.  His  Successful  Agency.  His  Wise 
Policy  for  the  Chapel.  Three  Liberal  Donors  Pledged,  J.  L.  Williams, 
C.  B.  Nelson  and  C.  H.  McCormick.  Meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  in  1875.  Their  Action.  The  Plan  Accepted.  Building 
Committee  Appointed.  The  Work  Begun.  Corner  Stone  Laid. 
Dr.  Halsey's  Address.  The  Edifice  Completed.  Its  Cost.  Occupied 
in  1876.  Formal  Dedication  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Board  in 
1876.  Historical  Address  by  Dr.  J.  Edwards.  Address  by  Rev.  A. 
E.  Kittredge,  D.D.  Testimonial  to  Rev.  J.  M.  Faris  on  His  Suc- 
cessful Work.  Other  Important  Work  Needed.  Larger  Endow- 
ment for  Three  Chairs.  Teacher  of  Elocution  Appointed.  Decease 
of  Two  of  the  Directors.  Minute  of  the  Board  on  Rev.  Dr.  J.  G. 
Bergen.  Minute  on  Hon.  Isaac  Scarritt.  Death  of  Wesley  Munger 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees.     Memorial  on  His  Character. 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Resignations  and  Changes  in  the  Faculty— 1876-1881.  -  298-316 
Dr.  Patton  and  the  Swing  Trial.  Internal  Growth.  Average  At- 
tendance. Matron  of  the  Seminary.  Hebrew  Tutor.  Method  of 
Examination.  Character  of  the  Students.  Year  of  Revival.  Social 
and  Religious  Life  in  the  Seminary.  Students  Entertained  by  Pro- 
fessors. The  Institution  Like  a  Home.  Testimony  of  the  Alumni. 
Public  Entertainments.  After  the  Reunion.  Students'  Reception. 
Financial  Condition.  Large  Arrearage  of  Debt.  Economical  Pol- 
icy. Reduction  of  Salaries.  Action  of  the  Board  on  Salaries. 
Committee  of  Ladies.  Thanks  of  the  Board.  Resignation  of  Prof. 
Patton.  Action  of  the  Board.  Resignation  Withdrawn.  Agents  to 
Raise  Funds.  Thanks  to  the  Agents.  Mr.  McCormick's  Portrait. 
His  Donations  for  the  Arrearage.     Professor  Patton  Again  Resigns. 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

Efforts  to  Retain  Him.  His  Decision  to  go  to  Princeton.  Final 
Letter.  Resignation  of  Dr.  R.  W.  Patterson.  Resignation  of  Drs. 
Halsey,  Elliott  and  Blackburn.  Their  Letters.  Cause  of  these 
Changes.  Dr.  Halsey  made  Professor  Emeritus.  Tribute  to  Drs. 
Elliott  and  Blackburn.  Financial  Agent  Resigns.  Action  of  the 
Board. 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Mr.  McCormick  and  the  Endowment  Fund— 1880-1881.  -  317-333 
Mr.  McCormick  a  Member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  His  Relation 
to  the  Board  of  Directors.  Made  an  Honorary  Member  of  the  Direc- 
tory. Three  Other  Honorary  Directors  Elected.  Deep  Interest  of 
Mr.  McCormick  in  the  Seminary.  His  Encouraging  Letter  to  Judge 
Moore.  His  Position  as  to  the  Seminary.  Offers  a  Large  Increase 
of  Endowment.  A  Second  Letter.  Action  of  the  Board  on  His  Pro- 
posal. Amount  of  His  Donations.  The  Patron  of  the  Seminary. 
Scholarship  of  Thomas  A.  Gait,  The  Catherine  Gait  Fund.  Em- 
bellishment of  the  Grounds.  Death  of  Rev.  Fielding  N.  Ewing. 
Tribute  of  the  Board  to  His  Character  and  Services.  Death  of 
Thomas  M,  Sinclair.  Resolutions  in  Reference  Thereto.  Death  of 
William  G.  Holmes.  His  Life  and  Character.  Services  to  the 
Seminary.  Death  of  Warren  Norton.  His  Useful  Life.  Death  of 
Dr.  Elliott.  His  Ability  and  Character.  Professor  in  the  Seminary 
Eighteen  Years.  Professor  in  Lafayette  College.  His  Published 
Works.     His  Nativity.     Education  and  Family. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
New  Professors  and  New  Buildings— 1881-1883.  -  -  334-350 
Reconstruction  of  Chairs.  Dr.  Halsey  made  Emeritus  Professor. 
Dr.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  Elected.  One  of  the  Chairs  Divided. 
Rev.  Edward  L.  Curtis  Elected.  Three  New  Professors  Elected. 
All  Decline.  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.D.,  Elected  Professor  of 
Theology.  New  Houses  for  the  Professors.  The  Opening  of  the 
Session  of  1 88 1.  Dr.  Halsey  in  Charge  of  the  Classes  in  Theology. 
Dr.  Skinner  Accepts  his  Position.  Parts  of  Instruction  Assigned  to 
Dr.  Skinner  and  Dr.  Johnson.  New  Testament  Literature  and  Exe- 
gesis to  Dr.  Halsey.  Close  of  the  Session.  Drs.  Craig  and  Marquis 
Re-elected.  Dr.  Craig  Accepts.  Session  of  1882-1883.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick Offers  to  Build  Three  Dwellings.  A  Director  of  the  Semi- 
nary for  Life.  Constitution  Amended.  Four  New  Dwellings. 
Endowment  Money  Used  in  Building.  Action  of  the  Board.  A 
Wise  Investment.  Dr.  Marquis  Accepts.  Session  of  1 883-1884. 
Full  Faculty.  Inauguration  of  Drs.  Skinner  and  Craig,  Dr.  Skin- 
ner Thanked.  Religious  Meetings  of  the  Students.  Influence  of 
Moody  Meetings  in  1876.  Decease  of  Dr.  R.  C.  Matthews.  His 
Service  to  the  Seminary.     His  Long  Pastorate. 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
McCoRMiCK  Hall  Erected— 1883-1884.  .  -  .  .  351-367 
The  Session  of  1883-1884.  New  Professors  Inaugurated.  Increase 
of  Students.  More  Room  Needed.  New  Dormitory  Demanded. 
Mr.  McCormick's  Position.  He  Favors  the  Plan  of  Enlargement. 
The  Corner  Stone  Laid.  Appropriate  Services.  Paper  from  Mr. 
McCormick.  He  Appreciates  the  Necessity  of  a  Large  Building. 
Agrees  to  Bear  the  Whole  Expense.  Approach  of  a  Brighter  Day. 
Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Tribute  to  Mr.  McCormick. 
Called  McCormick  Hall.  The  Building  Finished.  Occupied  by 
Students  at  the  Opening  of  the  Session.  Services  of  the  Dedication. 
Mr.  McCormick  Did  not  Live  to  See  It.  Interest  of  the  Occasion. 
Address  by  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.  Keys  of  the  Building.  Presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Directors  Replies.  Other  Services.  Telegram 
from  Mrs.  McCormick.  Addresses  by  Dr.  John  Hall  and  Professor 
L.  J.  Halsey. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
The  Death  of  Mr.  McCormick— 1884.  .  .  .  .  368-381 
His  Growing  Interest  in  the  Seminary.  Brief  Outline  of  His  Life. 
Childhood  and  Youth.  Home  Influences.  His  Parentage  and  Edu- 
cation. New  Providence  Church.  His  Inventive  Genius.  First 
Efforts.  A  Reaping  Machine  Produced.  Its  Trial  and  Success. 
Its  Great  Results.  His  Removal  to  the  Northwest.  His  Business 
Established  at  Chicago.  Its  Wonderful  Success.  World-wide 
Fame.  The  Great  Invention.  His  Marriage.  Vigorous  Constitu- 
tion. Dangerous  Malady  at  Paris  in  1878.  Impaired  Health.  At- 
tention to  Business.  Intellectual  Vigor.  His  Last  Illness.  No 
Hope  of  Recovery.  His  Calm  Serenity.  His  Peaceful,  Happy 
Death.  His  Great  Life  Work  Complete.  Quarter  of  a  Century 
with  the  Seminary.  His  Several  Donations.  Well-Rounded  Life. 
A  Remarkable  Career.  Funeral  Services.  Conducted  by  the  Pro- 
fessors of  the  Seminary.  Employes  of  the  Reaper  Works.  Resolu- 
tions and  Testimonials  of  Respect.  By  the  General  Assemblies.  By 
the  Board  of  Directors.  By  the  Faculty.  By  Religious  and  Educa- 
tional Bodies.     By  Prominent  Individuals. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Era  of  Assured  Success  and  Progress— 1884-1886.  -  -  382-403 
Mr.  McCormick's  Idea.  Increase  of  Students.  The  Library  of  Rev. 
William  H.  Van  Doren,  D.D.,  Bequeathed  to  the  Seminary.  Writ- 
ten and  Oral  Examinations.  Special  Lecturers.  Spiritual  Develop, 
ment.  New  Departure.  Confidence  Inspired.  McCormick  Hall 
Furnished  by  the  Churches.  Donation  of  Tuthill  King.  His  Letter 
to  the  Board.  Action  of  the  Board  Thereon.  Large  Debt  Accruing. 
Statement  of  the  Treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.     Donation  of 


CONTENTS.  XV 

One  Hundred  Thousand  Dollars.  Thanks  of  the  Board  to  Mrs.  Mc- 
Cormick  and  her  Son.  Joint  Action  of  Trustees  and  Directors. 
Name  of  the  Seminary  Changed.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.,  made 
a  Special  Director  for  Life.  Action  of  the  Board  and  of  General 
Assembly  on  these  Measures.  Resignation  of  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason. 
Resolutions  Thereon.  Deaths  Among  the  Directors.  Mr.  C.  B. 
Nelson.  Hon.  S.  M.  Moore.  Dr.  W.  S.  Curtis.  Their  Memorial 
on  the  Records  of  the  Board.  Decease  of  John  Forsythe,  Charles 
Crosby  and  Hon.  Lincoln  Clark.  Their  Life.  Character  and  Services 
to  the  Seminary. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Fowler  Hall  Erected  and  Dedicated— 1886- 1887.  -  -  404-418 
Department  of  Hebrew  Literature.  Inauguration  of  Professor 
Curtis.  A  New  Dormitory  Needed.  Increase  of  Students.  Action 
of  the  Professors  and  Trustees.  Mrs.  McCormick  and  Her  Son 
Decide  to  Build.  A  Large  Dormitory  Projected.  Plan  Chosen. 
The  Foundation  Laid.  Progress  ot  the  Work.  Mrs.  McCormick's 
Interest.  Personal  Attention.  Edifice  Completed.  Named  Fowler 
Hall.  Its  Dedication.  Address  of  Cyrus  H.  McCormick.  Address 
of  Dr.  Fisher,  President  of  the  Board.  Address  of  Dr.  Campbell. 
Death  of  Jesse  L.  Williams.  Tribute  to  His  Memory.  Action  of 
the  Board.  Successful  Work  in  the  Seminary.  Its  Spiritual 
Tone.  Larger  Teaching  Force  Needed.  Two  Additional  Chairs 
Created.  Tutor  in  Hebrew  Secured.  Change  of  Name  Confirmed 
by  General  Assembly. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Results  Accomplished— 1888.        ------       419-437 

The  Scholarship  Fund.  Why  Needed.  Large  Addition  to  it. 
Dr.  Pearsons's  Gift.  Its  Value.  Its  Timely  Aid.  Increase  of 
Students.  A  Wise  Beneficence.  Investment  of  the  Funds. 
Change  of  Policy.  Dwellings  Built  for  Rent.  Whole  Number  of 
Houses.  Closing  Services  of  the  Session.  Thanks  to  Mrs.  Mc- 
Cormick and  Her  Son,  A  New  Donation.  Col.  Dudley  C.  Smith. 
A  Fellowship  Founded.  Its  Aims  and  Provisions.  Action  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Feeling  of  Professors  and  Students.  Report 
of  Trustees.  All  Conditions  of  the  Seminary  Property  Fulfilled. 
The  Title  Absolute  and  Complete.  Influence  of  the  Institution. 
Growth  of  Churches  through  Its  Agency.  Other  Denominations 
Benefited.  Influence  on  Foreign  Missions.  On  the  Home  Field. 
The  Seminary  Alumni. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

EwiNG  Hall  and  Chalmers  Place— 1888-1890.         -         -         438-458 

The  Largest  Graduating  Class.      Impressive  Occasion.     Dr.  Hoge 

of  Richmond.     Inauguration    of    Dr.    DeWitt.     Mrs.    McCormick 


xvi  CONTENTS. 

and  the  New  Professorship.  The  Central  Building  Named  Ewing 
Hall.  Mr.  Ewing's  Services.  Repairs  to  Ewing  Hall.  Honor  to 
Mr.  John  C.  Grier.  Decease  of  Former  Directors,  Drs.  Phelps  and 
Noyes.  New  Buildings  Proposed.  Rev.  James  A.  Reed  Employed 
as  Agent.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  about  a  Loan.  Large 
Donation  of  the  Trustees  of  the  McCormick  Estate.  Eighteen  New 
Dwellings  Erected.  Chalmers  Place  Opened.  An  Attractive  Im- 
provement. Reminiscences  of  Ewing  Hall.  Fire  in  the  Roof. 
Taken  for  a  Medical  College.  Case  of  Contagious  Disease.  Dan- 
ger from  Great  Fire.  A  Place  of  Refuge.  A  Wind  Center.  Dr. 
Skinner's  Resignation  of  His  Chair.  Resolutions  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  on  Dr.  Skinner.  New  Chair  of  Divinity  Established. 
Department  of  Biblical  Philology  Created.  Rev.  A.  S.  Carrier 
Appointed  Instructor. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Changes  in  Faculty  and  New  Professors— 1891-1892.  -  459-477 
Continued  Growth  of  the  Seminary.  Large  Increase  of  Students. 
Measure  to  Increase  the  Teaching  Force.  Action  of  the  Directors. 
Transfer  of  Dr.  Craig  to  Chair  of  Theology.  Election  of  Dr. 
Zenos  to  Chair  ot  History.  Need  of  Larger  Scholarship  Fund. 
Efforts  to  meet  Deficiencies.  Proposition  to  Raise  One  Hundred 
Thousand  Dollars.  Liberal  Offer  of  Dr.  Skinner.  Accepted  by 
the  Board.  Source  of  Great  Encouragement.  Followed  by  Other 
Donations.  Appeal  to  the  Churches.  Inauguration  of  Professors 
Elected.  Resignation  of  Prof.  Curtis.  Election  of  Dr.  Bissell  to 
Chair  of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis.  Prof.  Carrier 
Elected  to  Chair  of  Hebrew  and  Cognate  Languages.  Prof.  Booth, 
Instructor  in  Elocution  and  Voice  Culture.  Special  Course  of  Lec- 
tures Each  Session.  Bed  in  Presbyterian  Hospital.  Additions  to 
Library.  Indebtedness  of  Seminary  Paid  by  Mrs.  McCormick  and 
her  Son.  Vote  of  Thanks  to  Them.  Library  Building  to  be  Erected 
by  Same  Generous  Friends.  Vote  of  Thanks  for  the  Gift.  Death  of 
Prominent  Officers  of  the  Seminary,  Decease  of  Hon.  R.  B.  Ma- 
son, Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  Rev.  John  Crozier,  Dr.  Josiah  Milli- 
gan,  Mr.  John  C.  Grier,  Dr.  Hervey  D.  Ganse,  Dr.  Samuel  Hodge. 
Tributes,  Memorials  and  Resolutions  of  Sympathy. 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
Retrospect  and  Conclusion— 1892-1893.  .  -  .  .  478-500 
Prosperity  of  the  Institution.  Resignation  of  Dr.  DeWitt.  Dr. 
Skinner's  Library.  Change  of  Form  of  Investment.  Dwelling 
Houses  Built.  New  Policy  Vindicated.  Value  of  Seminary  Prop- 
erty. City  Mission  Work.  Students  Enlisted  in  It.  Difficult  Field 
Chosen.  Organization  of  New  Church.  City  Mission  Committee 
Formed.     New  Missions  Opened.     Evangelistic  and  Pastoral  Work 


CONTENTS.  xvii 

of  Faculty  of  1859.  No  Abatement  of  Interest  in  Foreign  Missions. 
Increasing  Zeal  on  Part  ot  Students.  Number  Sent  to  Foreign 
Field.  Change  of  Seminary  Term.  Annual  Reunion  of  Seminaries. 
First  Award  of  Bernadine  Orme  Smith  Fellowship.  Prize  Offered 
by  Church  of  the  Covenant.  Survey  of  the  Seminary's  History.  Its 
Several  Changes.  Its  Present  Buildings.  Its  New  Name.  The 
Work  of  Christian  Women.  Former  Professors.  Whole  Number 
of  Students.  The  Present  Increase.  The  New  Faculty.  Work  of 
Directors  ^nd  Trustees.  The  Latest  Seminary  Boards.  Honorary 
Directors.  Executive  Committee.  Essential  Elements  in  Growth 
of  the  Institution.  God's  Great  Blessing.  Man's  Concentrated 
Agency.  The  Joint  Work.  Distinction  of  Former  Professors.  The 
Alumni  and  their  Work  in  the  Field.  The  Opening  of  a  New  Hun- 
dred Years. 

Appendix  A.  Constitution  of  1840. 501-509 

Appendix  B.  Charter  of  1842. 510-511 

Appendix  C.  Constitution  of  1856. 512-519 

Appendix  D.  Charter  of  1857. 520-524 

Appendix  E.  Constitution  of  1859. 525-531 

Appendix  F.  Constitution  of  1872. 532-537 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Hon 
Rev. 

Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


Rev. 


.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick.      ------        Facing  title  page. 

John  Finley  Crowe,  D.D, Facing  page  i. 

Founder  of  Hanover  College. 
John  Matthews,  D.D.     ------        Facing  page  13. 

Professor  of  Theology  ;  at  Hanover  from  1830   to 

1840:  at  New  Albany  from  1840  to  1848. 
James  Wood,  D.D.        ------       Facing  page  30. 

Professor  of  Biblical  Criticism  and  Oriental  Litera- 
ture;  at  Hanover  from  1839  to  1840  :  at  New 
Albany  from  1840  to  1849.  Professor  of  Eccle- 
siastical History  at  New  Albany  from  1849  to 
1851. 

Daniel  Stewart,  D.D. Facing  page  42. 

Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  at  New  Albany  from 
1849  to  1853. 

Philip  Lindsley,  D.D. Facing  page  55. 

Professor  of  Biblical  Archaeology  and  Church  Polity 
at  New  Albany  from  1850  to  1854, 
Thomas  E.  Thomas,  D.D.     -        -        -        -        -        Facing  page  70. 
Professor  of  Bibliology  and  Scripture  Exegesis  at 

New  Albany  from  1854  to  1857. 
Nathan  L.  Rice,  D.D.         -         -         -        -         -        Facing  page  91. 
Cyrus   H.   McCormick   Professor  of   Didactic  and 
Polemic  Theology  at  Chicago  from  1859  to  1861. 
Le  Roy  J.  Halsey,  D.D.,  LL.D.    -        -        .        -        Facing  page  106. 
Professor  of  Historical  and  Pastoral  Theology  and 
Church  Government  at   Chicago  from  1859  to 
1881.     Emeritus  Professor  of    the  Sacraments 
and  Church  Government  since  1881. 

William  M.  Scott.  D.D. Facing  page  125. 

Professor  of   Biblical   Literature  and   Exegesis  at 

Chicago  from  1859  to  1861. 
Willis  Lord,  D.D.,  LL.D.     -         -         -        -        -        Facing  page  136. 
Professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  at 
Chicago  from    1859  to   1867.      Cyrus   H.    Mc- 
Cormick Professor  of   Didactic  and   Polemic 
Theology  from  1867  to  1870. 
xix 


XX  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Hon.  Lincoln  Clark. -        Facing  page  146. 

Member  of  Synodical  Board  of  Directors  from  1856 
to  1859.     Member  of  Board  of  Directors  at  Chi- 
cago from  1 86 1  to  1869. 
Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.D.,  LL.D.        .        ,        .        .        Facing  page  161. 
Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis  at  Chi- 
cago from  1863  to  1 88 1. 

Rev.  Fielding  N.  Ewing. Facing  page  178. 

Member  of  the  Synodical  Board  of  Directors  from 

1856  to  1859.  Member  of  Board  of  Directors  at 
Chicago  from  1859  to  1880.  General  Agent  of 
the  Seminary  in  1863-1864. 

Mr.  Samuel  Howe.        - Facing  page  189. 

Member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  at  Chicago  from 

1857  to  1869.  Member  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors from  1863  to  1870. 

Rev.  John  Crozier.        -         ------        Facing  page  201. 

Member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  Chicago  from 
1866  to  1891. 
Rev.  Erasmus  D.  MacMaster,  D.D.      -        -        -        -        Facing  page  217. 

Professor  of  Theology  at  New  Albany  from  1849  to 
1857.    Cyrus  H.  McCormick  Professor  of  Didac- 
tic and  Polemic  Theology  at  Chicago  in  1866. 
Rev.  William  M.  Blackburn,  D.D.        -        -        -        -        Facing  page  235. 

Professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  at 
Chicago  from  1868  to  188 1. 
Hon.  Jesse  L.  Williams.         ------        Facing  page  247.. 

Member  of  the  Synodical  Board  of  Directors  from 
1856  to  1859.    Member  of  Board  of  Directors  at 
Chicago  from  1859  to  1886. 
Rev.  Robert  W.  Patterson,  D.D.  -        .        -        .        Facing  page  261. 

Professor  ot    Christian    Evidences  and   Ethics  at 
Chicago  from   1874  to   1881. 
Mr.  Claudius  B.  Nelson.         ------        Facing  page  284. 

Member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  Chicago  from 
1870  to  1884. 
Ewing  Hall  and  Chapel  and  Library  Building.       -        -        Facing  page  291. 
Rev.  Francis  L.  Patton,  D.D.,  LL.D.  -        -        -        Facing  page  298. 

Cyrus   H.    McCormick    Professor   of   Didactic  and 
Polemic  Theology  at  Chicago  from  1872  to  1881. 
Rev.  Josiah  Milligan,  D.D.  -        -        .        .        .        Facing  page  308. 

Member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  Chicago  from 

1868  to  1 891.  General  Agent  of  the  Seminary 
from  1880  to  1882. 

Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore,  LL.D. Facing  page  317. 

Member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  Chicago  from 

1869  to  1885. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  xxi 

Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  LL.D.      -        -        .        .        Facing  page  334. 
Special  Lecturer  on  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral 
Theology  at  Chicago  from  1881  to  1883,     Pro- 
fessor of  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology 
since  1883. 
Rev.  Edward  L.  Curtis,  Ph.D.         -        -        .        .        .        Facing  page  343. 
Instructor  in  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exege- 
sis at  Chicago  from   1881   to  1884  ;    Associate 
Professor  of  the  same  from  1884  to  1886.     Pro- 
fessor of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exege- 
sis from  1886  to  1 89 1. 
Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.D.,  LL.D.        -        -        -        Facing  page  351. 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick   Professor  of    Didactic  and 
Polemic   Theology  at   Chicago  from   1881    to 
1890.     Professor  of  Divinity  from  1890  to  1892. 

McCormick  Hall.  - Facing  page  359. 

Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick. Facing  page  368. 

Rev.  Willis  G.  Craig,  D.D.,   LL.D.      .        .        .        .        Facing  page  382. 
Professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  at 
Chicago  from  1882  to  1891.     Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick Professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  The- 
ology since  1891. 
Rev.  David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  LL.D.    -        -        -        .        Facing  page  404. 
Professor  of  New  Testament  Literature  and  Exege- 
sis at  Chicago  since  1883. 

Fowler  Hall.  -        - Facing  page  411. 

Hon.  Roswell  B.  Mason. Facing  page  419. 

Member  of  Board  of  Trustees  at  Chicago  from  1857 
to   1892.     Member  of   Board   of   Directors  at 
Chicago  from  1878  to  1892. 
Rev.  John  DeWitt,  D.D.,  LL.D.  .        .        .        .        Facing  page  438. 

Professor  of  Apologetics  and  Missions  at  Chicago 
from  1888  to  1892. 
General  View  of  McCormick  Seminary.        -        -        -        Facing  page  450. 
Rev.  Andrew  C.  Zenos,  D.D.  -        -        .        .        .        Facing  page  459. 

Professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  at 
Chicago  since  1891. 
Rev.  Augustus  S.  Carrier,  A.M.  -        -        -        -        Facing  page  469. 

Instructor  in  Hebrew  from  1887  to  1890.  Instructor 
in  Biblical  Philology  from  1890  to  1892.  Professor 
of  Hebrew  and  Cognate  Languages  since  1892. 

Rev.  Edwin  C.  Bissell,  D.D. Facing  page  478. 

Professor  of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exege- 
sis since  1892. 


REV.   JOHN  FINLEY  CROWE,  D.  D. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Institutions  have  a  history,  and  so  have  men.  And  they 
are  otten  intermingled.  A  great  deal  of  intense  personality 
goes  into  institutional  life.  And  the  institution  often  enters 
largely  and  potentially  into  the  life  of  the  man.  Institutional 
history  with  the  personality  dropped  out  of  it  is  bare  and 
meagre — a  collection  of  dates,  a  succession  of  events,  brick 
and  mortar,  so  many  years,  so  much  money,  so  many  graduates. 
Stamp  it  now  with  the  individuality  of  the  men  that  have 
devoted  their  lives  to  it,  make  it  throb  with  the  personal  life 
that  has  entered  into  it  and  given  it  glory  and  attractiveness 
and  structural  force,  and  what  was  mechanical  is  transformed — 
the  body  has  a  soul,  the  institutional  history  is  ablaze  with  the 
light  of  intense  personality. 

Were  it  not  for  this  personal  element  the  history  of  any 
institution  would  be  dull  reading.  And  the  McCormick  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  would  furnish  no 
exception.  But  something  of  the  best  of  each  of  a  goodly 
company  of  wise  and  godly  men  has  gone  down  into  the  his- 
tory here  recorded,  making  up  a  total  of  heroic  sacrifice,  of 
struggle  against  odds,  of  large  liberality,  of  consecration,  and 
of  patient  and  conquering  endeavor,  quite  out  of  the  ordinary, 
giving  to  some  otherwise  indifferent  dates  and  facts  a  mighty 
significance,  and  making  the  record  conspicuously  unique  in 
the  history  of  theological  seminaries. 

It  must  be  counted  by  all  friends  of  theological  education 
a  happy  thing  that  this  history  has  been  written.  But  to  those 
familiar  with  the  past  of  this  particular  institution  it  must  be 
counted-  a  specially  happy  thing  that  this  history  has  been 
written  by  one  whose  soul  has  been  knit  to  the  soul  of  it  and 
whose  life  has  been  mingled  with  its  life,  and  whose  vital  and 
spiritual  force  has  been  spent  in  its  upbuilding  far  and  away 


XXIV  INTRODUCTION. 

beyond  that  of  any  others.  It  was  the  good  hand  of  our  God 
upon  him  that  enabled  LeRoy  Jones  Halsey  to  be  the  historian 
of  the  institution  with  the  Hfe  of  which  for  thirty-three  years 
his  own  has  been  intermingled,  and  to  the  influence  of  which 
he  has  made  so  important  a  contribution.  This  history  may 
well  be  regarded  as  the  crown  and  completion  of  the  long  and 
honored  work  he  has  given  to  the  Seminary,  lending  to  the 
history  a  peculiar  charm — and  a  charm  the  more  gracious  be- 
cause not  easily  discoverable  in  the  prevailing  unobtrusiveness 
of  the  author's  personality  down  through  the  narrative. 

Dr.  Halsey  came  to  his  professorial  work  in  the  Seminary 
from  conspicuous  and  successful  pastorates,  and  to  the  chair  of 
Applied  Theology  he  therefore  brought  a  rare  fitness  and  adapta- 
tion ;  and  he  filled  it  through  three  decades  of  years  with 
acknowledged  fidelity  and  efficiency,  until  he  became  the  patri- 
arch of  the  institution,  honored  and  beloved  by  his  younger 
associates.  Who  so  fitted  as  he  to  write  of  the  struggles,  the 
storms,  the  disasters  and  the  heart  histories  of  these  years  of 
institutional  life  ?  Happy  the  seminary  that  has  such  a 
historian. 

HERRICK  JOHNSON. 


CHAPTER    I. 

INTRODUCTORY   OUTLINE   OF  THE   HISTORY. 

1825-1893. 


History  of  the  Seminary  under  Different  Names.  Its  Several  Changes.  Its 
Original  Design.  True  to  its  Appointed  Mission.  Identified  with  Theolog- 
ical Education  in  the  West  and  Northwest.  Its  Eventful  Career.  Its  Long 
Delayed  Success.  Its  Present  Assured  Position.  Its  Three  Locations. 
Permanent  Home  at  Chicago.  Early  Origin  in  Southern  Indiana.  Sixty 
Years  Ago.  Small  Beginnings  at  Hanover.  Connection  with  Hanover  Col- 
lege. Other  Incipient  Institutions.  State  of  the  Country  at  that  Time. 
Hardy  Pioneers.  Growth  of  the  Church  and  Country.  Population  of  the 
New  States.  God's  Providence  Seen  in  this  History.  Theological  Semina- 
ries at  Chicago.  Many  Laborers  in  the  Work.  One  Spirit  in  all  the 
History.  List  of  the  Early  Instructors.  Their  Distinguished  Record.  .  The 
Present  Faculty.  The  Alumni  of  the  Institution.  Their  Useful  Work. 
Special  Examples.  Dr.  Edwards's  Eulogium.  Two  Important  Facts.  Rea- 
sons for  this  History. 


The  school  of  sacred  learning  at  Chicago,  formerly  desig- 
nated The  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west, and  now  known  as  The  McCormick  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  has  a  history  of  wide  and  diversi- 
fied interest,  as  regards  both  the  Church  and  the  country.  If 
we  trace  it  back  to  the  earliest  beginnings,  it  has,  in  fact, 
existed  at  three  different  locations,  and  it  has  borne  four  dis- 
tinct designations,  derived,  at  least  in  part,  from  the  change  of 
location.  It  was  established  at  first  as  the  theological  depart- 
ment of  Hanover  College,  at  Hanover,  Indiana,  and  this  it 
was  for  a  period  of  ten  years  ;  but  it  was  commonly  called 
the  Indiana  Theological  Seminary.  It  was  then  removed  to 
New  Albany,  Indiana,  where  for  seventeen  years  it  was  con- 
ducted under  the  title  of  the   New  Albany  Theological  Semi- 


2  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

nary.  Then  again  it  was  removed  and  reorganized  at  Chi- 
cago, with  the  wider  designation  of  The  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest.  Under  this  third  name  it 
continued  until  1885- 1886,  when,  by  the  concurrent  action  of 
the  Seminary  Boards  and  the  General  Assembly,  the  name 
was  changed  to  The  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

But,  notwithstanding  these  changes  of  name  and  locality, 
the  school,  through  all  its  history,  has  been  substantially  one 
and  the  same  institution.  It  has  been  true  throughout  to  its 
original  design  and  to  its  appointed  mission,  of  training  on  the 
ground  an  educated  ministry  for  the  Presbyterian  Church 
within  the  bounds  of  the  great  Western  and  Northwestern 
States  and  Territories.  From  its  origin  it  has  borne  no  unim- 
portant part  in  the  public  movements  which  have  been  inaugu- 
rated from  time  to  time,  in  behalf  of  collegiate  and  ministerial 
education,  in  the  region  of  country  once  appropriately  styled 
the  Northwest,  but  now  more  truly  the  great  Interior.  Through 
its  early  years  it  was  in  fact  one  of  the  hardy  pioneers,  if  not 
indeed  the  very  leader,  in  the  many  attempts  made  at  different 
points  to  found  adequate  schools  and  colleges,  and  so  to  train 
a  learned  and  godly  ministry  on  this  broad  domain. 

Of  the  fourteen  theological  schools  at  present  connected 
with  the  Northern  branch  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  most  of 
which  have  been  founded  since  the  opening  of  the  institution 
whose  history  it  is  here  proposed  to  trace,  not  one  has  passed 
through  a  more  eventful  career,  or  exerted  a  more  salutary 
influence  over  the  great  cause  of  Christian  education  at  the 
West.  Its  memorial  should  not  be  lost.  Its  work  has  run 
through  many  years,  and  at  times  its  progress  has  been  appa- 
rently slow.  But  its  aim  from  the  beginning  has  been  steady, 
and  its  great  success,  through  God's  blessing,  is  now  well 
assured.  It  seems  eminently  fitting  that  a  history  so  vitally 
connected  with  many  great  public  interests,  and  especially 
with  ministerial  education  and  the  essential  growth  of  the 
Church,  should  be  placed  on  permanent  record  by  those  who, 
through  all  its  stages,  have  been  fully  cognizant  of  the  facts. 

Through  the  liberal  and  far-sighted  beneficence  of  the  man 


1825-1893.     INTRODUCTORY  OUTLINE  OF  THE  HISTORY.  3 

whose  honored  name  it  now  bears,  together  with  the  co-opera- 
tion of  other  generous  donors  and  workers,  this  school  of 
the  prophets  has  at  last  been  placed  on  a  basis  of  financial 
prosperity  and  of  far-reaching  usefulness  such  as  it  had  never 
attained  during  its  earlier  stages.  On  its  beautiful  Chicago 
site,  with  its  massive  buildings,  its  spacious  grounds,  its  large 
endowments,  its  working  faculty,  its  growing  classes  of  students, 
and  its  whitening  harvest  fields,  it  stands  to-day  before  the 
Church  and  the  country  a  monument  of  God's  favoring  provi- 
dence, and  the  rich  result  of  many  long  years  of  patient, 
prayerful  toil  on  the  part  of  His  devoted  servants.  We  behold 
in  it  what  God  has  wrought,  through  the  agency  of  many 
faithful  workers,  in  both  the  present  and  the  past  generation. 

The  institution  had  several  distinct  locations,  with  not  a 
few  ups  and  downs,  vicissitudes  and  trials,  in  its  earlier 
career.  Chicago  is  its  third  chosen  locality  and  permanent 
home.  The  whole  story  cannot  be  told  without  going  back  to 
the  very  beginnings  of  collegiate  and  theological  education  in 
the  West.  The  full  history  of  this  seminary  dates  from  the 
incipient  period  of  1 825-1 830,  and  carries  us  back  to  the  village 
of  Hanover,  situated  on  the  elevated  north  bank  of  the  Ohio, 
within  the  bosom  of  the  Synod  and  the  State  of  Indiana.  In 
this  once  secluded  corner  of  the  vast  outlying  field,  and  as 
early  as  the  year  1825,  those  first  concerted  and  prayerful  endeav- 
ors were  made  by  a  little  band  of  hard-working  Presbyterian 
ministers  and  elders,  to  build  up  a  Christian  college,  and 
with  it  a  department  of  theological  instruction,  which  ere  long 
culminated  in  Hanover  College  and  its  Theological  Seminary. 
This  was  the  early,  auspicious  inception  of  all  that  has  since 
followed  at  Hanover,  and  then  at  New  Albany,  and  now  at 
Chicago. 

We  are  thus  carried  back  to  a  time  when,  in  all  the  new 
states  and  territories  north  of  the  Ohio  River,  even  including 
Ohio  itself,  there  had  been  but  little  provision  made  anywhere 
for  that  higher  classical  and  collegiate  education  which 
was  needful  for  an  educated  ministry.  Some  good  found- 
ations had  indeed  been  laid  in  Ohio,  in  a  State  Univer- 
sity at  Athens  in  1804;  in  the  Miami  University  at  Oxford  in 


4  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

1817;  and  in  the  Western  Reserv^e  College  at  Hudson  in  1826. 
And  a  little  later  some  openings  for  schools  and  colleges  were 
made  in  other  newer  states,  as  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  in 
1824,  and  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  in  1829.  In  addition  to 
these  and  other  incipient  schools,  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary  had  been  founded  by  act  of  the  Presbyterian  Gen- 
eral Assembly  in  1825,  and  opened  for  instruction  in  1829  at 
Allegheny,  Pa.  The  Lane  Theological  Seminary  at  Cincinnati 
was  also  founded  in  1829,  thus  giving  two  theological  schools 
west  of  the  mountains. 

But  for  the  broad  domain  of  Indiana  itself,  and  for  all  the 
region  west  and  north  of  it,  nothing  existed  in  1825  that  could 
be  called  a  seminary  for  the  professional  training  of  the  minis- 
try, and  scarcely  any  classical  academy  that  could  as  yet  be 
dignified  with  the  title  of  college.  Only  here  and  there, 
through  the  wilderness  or  across  the  wide  prairies,  at  distant 
points,  might  have  been  found  a  few  zealous  missionaries  of 
the  Church,  who,  combining  the  work  of  instruction  with  that 
of  pastor,  had  opened  rude  school-houses  on  their  own  prem- 
ises, and  were  supplying  the  great  need  of  education  as  best 
they  could.  It  was  the  day  of  small  things,  and  yet  it  was  the 
very  turning  point  in  the  history  of  these  great  states.  The 
population  was  pouring  into  them  every  year  at  a  rate  till 
then  unexampled  even  in  the  history  of  our  country.  Already 
in  1830  Ohio  had  a  population  of  937,000;  Indiana,  343,000; 
Illinois,  157,000;  Michigan,  31,000,  and  Missouri,  140,000. 

At  such  a  time,  and  with  such  an  outlook,  how  pressing  was 
the  demand  for  seminaries  and  colleges  adequate  to  instruct 
the  youth  of  the  land,  and  competent  to  train  an  educated  and 
efficient  ministry  for  the  Church  !  We  should  hold  in  perpet- 
ual honor  the  zealous,  self-denying  pioneers  of  the  gospel  and 
of  the  higher  Christian  education,  who,  under  such  circum- 
stances, had  the  wisdom  and  the  sagacity  and  the  patriotism 
to  meet  the  demand  of  the  hour,  and  with  God's  blessing  to  lay 
the  broad  foundations  of  public  institutions  that  were  to  live 
and  bear  fruit  long  after  their  own  individual  work  had  been 
accomplished. 

The  narrative  now  proposed  in  these  pages,  as  will  be  seen, 


1825-1893.     INTRODUCTORY  OUTLINE  OF  THE  HISTORY.  5 

must  cover  a  period  of  more  than  sixty  years — a  period  of 
exceeding  interest  in  the  history  and  growth  of  the  Church,  in 
the  development  and  prosperity  of  the  country.  It  will  seek 
to  present  the  successive  development  and  work  of  McCormick 
Seminary  at  its  three  distinct  locations — the  first  at  Hanover, 
the  second  at  New  Albany  and  the  third  at  Chicago,  and  to  trace 
its  one  organic  life  through  all  the  periods.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  wisdom  which  organized  it  in  1830  at  Hanover,  and 
then  transferred  and  continued  it  at  New  Albany  in  1840,  was 
not  more  conspicuous  than  the  wisdom  which  in  1859  I'emoved 
it  from  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  to  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan, 
•and  fixed  its  final  home  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  It  is  easy  now 
to  see  the  hand  of  God  in  all  its  history,  and  to  discern  good- 
ness and  mercy  running  through  all  its  reversals  and  all  its  re- 
movals. The  wisdom  of  the  choice  which  made  Chicago  its 
final  location  has  been  amply  corroborated  by  the  fact  that 
four  other  great  Protestant  denominations — Congregational, 
Methodist,  Baptist  and  Episcopal — have  also  established 
similar  institutions  in  or  near  this  city.  Chicago,  one  of  the 
youngest  of  the  great  cities  of  our  country,  now  presents  the 
significant  spectacle  of  five  fully  equipped  theological  schools, 
with  an  aggregate  of  some  thirty  or  forty  professors,  and 
between  six  and  seven  hundred  young  men  studying  for  the 
gospel  ministry. 

But,  although  our  own  Seminary  has  passed  through  so 
rriany  stages  of  progress,  and  although  its  several  locations 
have  been  so  wide  asunder,  its  organic  life  has  always  been  the 
same.  The  great  impulse  which  at  first  called  it  into  being, 
namely,  the  purpose  to  train  a  learned  and  godly  ministry  for 
the  Church,  has  never  been  lost  or  impaired.  The  field, 
indeed — the  ever-growing  and  widening  Northwest — has 
remained  the  same  through  all  changes  of  location.  The  work- 
ers, it  is  true,  have  been  many,  through  all  its  years  of  varied 
and  unequal  advancement ;  but  they  have  always  been  ani- 
mated by  one  and  the  same  spirit,  the  spirit  of  Christ.  They 
have  had  one  common  purpose  ;  they  have  built  on  one  broad 
foundation,  and  without  exception  they  have  been  earnest, 
faithful,  godly,    true-hearted    men.      And    God    has    greatly 


6  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

blessed  their  labors.  The  successive  classes  of  alumni  who 
have  gone  forth  from  the  three  different  locations  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  in  our  own  land  and  on  distant 
heathen  shores,  though  they  have  been  trained  under  different 
teachers,  have  all  possessed  one  spirit ;  and  they  cannot  fail  to 
feel  a  common  interest  in  these  records  of  an  institution  so 
associated  with  their  early  studies,  their  unceasing  prayers  and 
their  life-long  ministerial  labors. 

This  school  of  sacred  learning  stands  to-day  where  it  stood 
at  the  beginning,  and  where  it  has  always  stood,  through  every 
change  of  place,  on  the  broad  basis  of  evangelical  truth  as 
revealed  in  the  inspired  Word  of  God,  as  indicated  by  the  great- 
Protestant  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  as  for- 
mulated in  the  time-honored  Presbyterian  standards  of  doc- 
trine and  order  at  Westminster.  On  this  solid  rock  of  divine 
truth  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  was  first 
founded.  On  this  foundation  it  has  been  conducted  through 
all  Its  changes,  at  all  its  locations,  by  all  its  teachers.  The  funda- 
mental and  distinctive  principles  of  Protestantism,  of  Evangel- 
ism, of  Presbyterianism,  of  Calvinism,  of  theoretic  and  of  living 
Christianity,  have  been  held,  taught  and  defended.  They 
have  been  preached  and  propagated  by  every  one  of  its  profes- 
sors, from  the  beginning  until  now. 

In  this  particular  no  seminary  in  the  world  has  a  more  dis- 
tinguished record,  and  a  more  pronounced  position.  .  On  the 
roll  of  its  venerated  professors  in  the  past,  some  of  them  still 
living,  but  most  of  them  ascended  to  their  reward,  stand  the 
names  of  Drs.  John  Matthews,  Erasmus  D.  MacMaster,  James 
Wood,  John  W.  Cunningham,  Philip  Lindsley,  George  B. 
Bishop,  Thomas  E.  Thomas,  Lewis  W.  Green,  Nathan  L.  Rice, 
William  M.  Scott,  Daniel  Stewart,  Willis  Lord,  Charles  Elliott, 
William  M.  Blackburn,  Robert  W.  Patterson,  Francis  L.  Pat- 
ton,  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  John  De  Witt,  Edward  L.  Curtis. 
They  have  all  been  men  of  God.  They  have  left  a  goodly  record 
in  the  annals  of  the  institution  and  in  the  hearts  of  their  pupils. 
In  their  high  and  sacred  function  of  expounders  of  God's 
Word,  they  have  uttered  no  uncertain  voice,  they  have  borne 
no  vacillating  or  divided  testimony. 


1825-1893.     INTRODUCTORY  OUTLINE  OF  THE  HISTORY.  / 

To  this  distinguished  list  may  now  be  added,  as  having  the 
same  spirit  and  entitled  to  equal  honor,  the  names  of  the 
existing  faculty  of  instruction,  men  who  possess  the  entire  con- 
fidence of  the  Church,  and  the  love  and  admiration  of  their 
pupils.  The  writer,  to  whose  lot  it  has  fallen  to  compile  these' 
annals  of  the  Seminary,  would  not  refer  to  himself  except  to 
say  that  he  has,  in  God's  good  providence,  enjoyed  the  privi- 
lege of  being  associated  as  a  colleague  and  co-laborer  with  each 
of  these  groups  of  eminent  teachers,  alike  of  the  earlier  and 
the  later  period.  As  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
while  the  institution  continued  at  New  Albany,  he  had  a  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  most  of  the  professors  at  that  place, 
and  from  the  time  he  was  made  one  of  its  professors  by  the 
election  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1859,  ^^^  the  inaugura- 
tion at  Chicago,  down  to  the  present  hour,  he  has  been  inti- 
mately associated  ia  work  with  almost  every  man  who  has 
ever  taught  within  its  walls.  He  has,  in  fact,  for  a  year  or 
more  at  a  time,  himself  given  instruction  in  every  one  of  its 
chairs,  save  those  of  History  and  Apologetics.  He  has  thus 
stood,  and  by  God's  favoring  providence  still  stands,  as  a  con- 
necting link  between  the  successive  faculties  of  the  institution 
through  all  the  periods  of  this  history.  Knowing  the  past  so 
well,  and  the  spirit  of  the  men  who  have  made  the  Seminary 
what  it  was  and  is,  it  gives  him  pleasure  to  bear  witness  to  the 
character  and  ability  of  the  present  faculty,  as  teachers  worthy 
to  stand  among  the  very  foremost  of  that  consecrated  band 
who  have  preceded  them. 

The  institution,  though  founded  and  sustained  by  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  has  ever  delighted  to  throw  wide  its  por- 
tals to  the  young  men  of  all  evangelical  churches  who  may 
wish  to  study  for  the  ministry,  and  are  willing  to  receive  the 
instruction  given  to  students  of  our  own  church.  The  instruc- 
tors are  all  thorough  Presbyterians,  but  they  are  not  bigots 
or  partisans.  They  are  of  the  great  household  of  faith, 
and  rejoice  in  the  common  salvation  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 
They  have  ever  sought  to  live  in  loving  sympathy  and  fellow- 
ship with  all  true  Christians  throughout  the  world.  They 
have   always   stood   opposed   to   the  dogmas    of    Romanism 


8  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

and  ritualism  on  the  one  hand,  and  to  the  specious  encroach- 
ments of  rationaHsm  and  infidelity  on  the  other. 

Of  the  widely  scattered  alumni  of  the  Seminary,  by  far  the 
larger  portion  have  been  called  to  exercise  their  ministry,  as 
evangelists  or  pastors,  in  the  vast  territory  of  the  Western  or 
Northwestern  States.  From  the  beginning  at  Hanover,  and 
at  New  Albany,  and  now  for  nearly  a  third  of  a  century  of 
development  at  Chicago,  they  have  gone  to  supply  the  destitute 
settlements,  and  the  newly  organized  churches  of  this  broad 
land  on  the  long  line  of  its  growth.  They  have  advanced  with 
the  advancing  tide  of  our  population.  They  have  known  how 
to  bear  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day.  They  have  toiled  and 
preached  and  prayed,  and  endured  hardness  as  good  soldiers 
of  Jesus  Christ.  They  have  done  their  full  share  in  laying 
the  foundations  of  churches  and  schools  and  colleges  in  every 
new  state  and  territory  from  Ohio  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Nor 
have  they  labored  in  vain.  The  growth  of  the  Church,  the 
growth  of  the  state,  is  everywhere  part  and  parcel  of  their 
work.  No  class  of  men  in  this  land  has  been  more  faithful  at 
the  post  of  duty  ;  no  class  of  laborers,  according  to  their  sev- 
eral ability,  has  accomplished  a  more  important  work.  From 
the  beginning  the  Seminary  has  been  accomplishing  its  blessed 
mission  of  preaching  the  gospel,  teaching  the  young,  and  sav- 
ing the  perishing  through  the  agency  of  its  successive  bands 
of  disciplined,  consecrated  alumni. 

Some  of  them  too,  as  they  could  be  spared  from  this  pioneer 
work  of  the  evangelistic  field,  have  from  time  to  time  been 
called  in  from  their  distant  outposts  to  occupy  pulpits  of  influ- 
ence and  responsibility  in  the  large  cities.  On  the  list  of  the 
early  students  are  found  the  names  of  some  who  have  stood  as 
pastors  in  the  high  places  of  our  Zion,  and  made  the  pulpit  a 
throne  of  power.  Among  the  Chicago  graduates  is  one  *  who 
filled  the  ofifice  of  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  at 
Philadelphia,  in  the  centennial  year  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States.  Another  of  the  same  alumni,f 
having  been  a  successful  pastor  in  three  prominent  cities,  was 

*  Rev.  Charles  I^.  Thompson,  D.D.,  I.L,.D.,  of  New  York  City, 
t  Rev.  David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  LIv.D.,  of  Chicago. 


1825-1893.     INTRODUCTORY  OUTLINE  OF  THE  HISTORY.  9 

then  called,  in  the  prime  of  life,  to  an  important  professorial 
chair  in  this  his  Alma  Mater.  Among  the  Chicago  alumni  is 
another^  whose  whole  ministerial  life  has  been  spent  as  an 
evangelist  among  the  churches  of  several  of  the  Southern 
States,  where  his  preaching  has  been  blessed  of  God  to  the  con- 
version of  uncounted  numbers. 

In  this  connection  should  also  be  mentioned  another  gifted 
evangelist,  of  the  New  Albany  alumni.  Rev.  Dr.  James  W. 
Hoyte,  of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  whose  ministry  belongs  to  the 
Southern  Presbyterian  Church,  and  whose  active  service,  until 
his  death,  was  greatly  blessed  of  God  in  revivals  of  religion 
through  the  Southern  and  Western  States.  On  the  roll  of 
the  New  Albany  students  is  the  name  of  an  alumnus,  Rev. 
Jonathan  Edwards,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  who  filled  more  than  one 
important  pastorate  in  city  churches,  was  called  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  Pa.,  and  also  of 
Hanover  College,  Ind.;  was  afterwards  called  to  the  professor- 
ship of  Systematic  Theology  in  the  Danville  Theological  Semi- 
'nary,  and  for  some  years,  while  pastor  of  one  of  the  Illinois 
churches,  was  an  active  director  in  this  seminary  at  Chicago. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  earliest  foreign  missionary 
educated  in  this  seminary  was  a  colored  man.  Rev.  James  M. 
Priest,  of  Liberia,  Africa.  His  name  stands  among  the  alumni 
at  New  Albany,  where  he  entered  in  1840;  and  after  studying 
three  years,  he  was  graduated  and  ordained,  and  after  marriage 
was  sent  by  the  Presbyterian  Foreign  Board  in  1843  to  Liberia. 
Here  he  spent  his  life  in  useful  labors,  and  died  within  the  last 
few  years. 

Among  the  earlier  alumni  is  still  another,!  who,  under  the 
strong  missionary  call,  offered  himself  to  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  to  "  go  far  hence  to  the  Gentiles,"  and  has  spent 
a  most  useful  and  honored  life  in  China.  Besides  the  one 
already  named,  Mr.  Priest,  of  Liberia,  three  others  of  our  gradu- 
ates went  to  the  Dark  Continent,  to  join  Dr.  Bushnell  on  the 
Gaboon  River.  Of  the  early  alumni,  some  went  to  China, 
some  to  Japan,  one  to  Siam,  followed  by  others  of  more  recent 

*  Rev.  C.  M.  Howard,  of  Virginia. 

fRev.  William  A.  P.  Martin,  U.D.,  I^Iy.D.,  Peking,  China. 


lo  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

time,  some  to  the  American  Indians,  and  some  to  South 
America,  Mexico  and  Guatemala.  Of  more  recent  alumni,  the 
Seminary  now  has  a  goodly  representation  in  the  missionary 
field,  and  the  number  of  such  is  constantly  increasing.  It  was 
natural  that  the  urgent  call  from  the  wide-spread  home  field 
should  be  responded  to  first  by  the  young  men  in  this  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest.  Hence  there  were  few  foreign  mission- 
aries from  the  earlier  classes.  Of  late  years  the  students  have 
been  catching  more  and  more  of  the  foreign  missionary  spirit. 
The  work  is  one  and  the  field  is  one.  But  the  field  is  the 
world.  And  this  school  of  the  prophets,  led  by  God's  Spirit, 
is  taking  its  place  as  one  of  the  missionary  seminaries  of 
our  Church. 

When  we  take  this  retrospect  of  the  Seminary's  history,  and 
call  to  remembrance  the  noble  work  of  its  scattered  alumni, 
with  the  diversified  gifts  and  endowments  of  its  long  line  of 
consecrated  teachers,  we  can  well  appreciate  the  eloquent  words 
of  Dr.  Edwards,  when,  at  the  dedication  of  the  chapel  and 
library  building  in  1876,  he  stood  in  the  presence  of  professors, 
directors,  trustees,  and  other  supporters  of  the  institution,  and 
said :  "^ 

''  These  are  our  antecedents.  These  men  are  our  predeces- 
sors. By  these  has  our  Seminary  taken  shape  and  taken  root 
as  a  training  school  for  the  gospel  ministry.  It  is  with  great 
satisfaction  that  we  take  this  survey  of  the  past.  I  congratu- 
late this  Board  of  Directors  in  that  they  succeed  to  the  over- 
sight of  an  institution  thus  founded  in  prayer,  in  faith  and 
in  holy  zeal.  I  congratulate  these  professors  that  the  chairs 
they  fill  are  radiant  with  mild  glories  from  the  past,  as  well  as 
with  the  luster  of  their  own  gifts. 

"  Most  of  all,  I  rejoice  that  during  all  these  years,  and 
by  the  hands  of  all  these  men,  this  Seminary  has  been  un- 
swerving in  its  loyalty  to  the  Calvinistic  scheme  of  faith  and 
order.  Grand  scheme  !  Noblest  endeavor  of  human  thought ! 
Amplest  revelation  of  God  !  Largest  illustration  of  '  Glory  to 
God  in  the  highest ;  peace  on  earth,  good  will  toward  men !  ' 
No  logic    so  thorough  as  that  which  develops  it !      No  phi- 

*  Addresses  at  the  Dedication  of  the  Seminary  Chapel,  1876. 


1825-1893.     INTRODUCTORY  OUTLINE  OF  THE  HISTORY.         II 

losophy  so  profound,  so  practical,  and  admitting  of  so  many 
useful  applications  as  that  which  is  in  it,  and  is  deducible  from 
it. 

''  Its  theology  reveals  a  glorious  Being,  whose  august  per- 
sonal character  adorns  the  excellent  greatness  of  His  high 
olifice  ;  so  that  His  people,  in  their  knowledge  of  Him,  are 
willing  in  the  day  of  His  power;  and  of  all  that  is  high  in  His 
Word,  and  of  all  that  is  mysterious  or  seemingly  severe  in 
His  administration,  they  say,  '  It  is  the  Lord:  let  Him  do  what 
seemeth  to  Him  good.'  Its  view  of  man  takes  in  all  the  facts 
of  his  condition,  with  all  the  principles  of  his  constitution.  Its 
way  of  salvation  is  redolent  of  atonement,  as  well  as  radiant 
with  the  Saviour's  example  and  endeared  by  the  Saviour's  sym- 
pathy. Strength  and  beauty  are  in  its  sanctuary,  the  strength 
of  a  gracious  sovereignty,  the  beauty  of  a  perfect  righteous- 
ness." 

Two  important  facts  are  brought  to  view  in  this  survey  of 
the  past,  which  are  sufficient  of  themselves,  in  the  writer's 
judgment,  to  justify  the  writing  of  such  a  history.  The  one  is 
that  the  history  of  this  Seminary,  from  first  to  last,  is  in  a  large 
measure  the  history  of  theological  education  in  the  Northwest- 
ern States,  and  thereby,  as  intimately  connected  with  it,  the 
very  history  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  itself.  Education  for 
the  gospel  ministry,  and  to  that  end  schools,  colleges  and  a 
theological  institute  competent  to  give  such  education  on  its 
own  field  and  within  its  own  borders — this  has  been  the  seed 
thought,  with  which  the  movement  first  began  at  Hanover  sixty 
year  ago,  and  this  primal  germ  has  but  grown  with  the  growth 
of  our  Seminary  through  all  its  years,  until  it  has  now  taken 
possession  of  our  whole  Church  as  constituting  one  of  the 
great  essential  conditions  of  all  true  vitality  and  all  successful 
progress. 

On  this  line  of  high  endeavor  to  found  their  own  colleges, 
and  build  their  own  seminary,  our  Western  and  Northwestern 
churches  spent  their  earliest,  their  best  and  their  unceasing 
energies.  And  though  for  a  long  time  baffled  and  disappointed, 
they  have  not  spent  their  strength  in  vain.  The  churches 
themselves  have  been  trained  and  developed  under  the  high 


12  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

endeavor.  The  whole  Church  has  everywhere  been  benefited 
more  and  more  by  the  expenditure,  and  by  the  sacrifices  which, 
on  this  line,  it  has  been  called  to  make.  What  the  Presbyterian 
Church  has  done  on  this  broad  domain  of  the  Northwest — 
done  for  Christ  and  the  souls  of  men,  for  education  and  the 
best  interests  of  the  country — cannot  be  adequately  recorded 
without  bringing  into  view  the  long-continued  and  oft-repeated 
and  at  last  successful  efforts  it  has  made  to  establish  and  main- 
tain a  seminary  of  sacred  learning  worthy  of  the  Church,  and 
adequate  to  the  training  of  her  ministry. 

The  other  important  fact  is  that  the  result  accomplished  in 
the  permanent  establishment  of  the  institution  whose  history 
is  traced  in  these  pages,  vindicates  the  wisdom  of  the  move- 
ment ab  hiitio,  and  through  all  its  stages.  The  struggle  has 
indeed  been  long,  the  work  difficult,  and  the  laborers  many. 
But  the  one  great  endeavor,  to  which  all  the  laborers  con- 
tributed their  part,  has  been  carried  forward  from  year  to  year, 
to  its  complete  culmination  in  the  present  nobly  endowed  and 
admirably  appointed  Seminary.  It  stands  to-day  the  fitting 
representative  of  all  the  labors  and  all  the  laborers  of  its  past 
history.  It  is  the  resultant  of  all  the  forces  which  imder  God 
have  contributed  in  any  way  to  make  it  what  it  is  — an 
honor  to  the  Church,  and  a  source  of  blessing  to  the  country 
and  to  the  world. 

The  abiding  purpose  and  aim  of  the  compiler  of  this  history, 
throughout,  has  been  to  do  full  and  equal  justice  to  all  the  good 
and  faithful  men  —  instructors,  directors,  trustees  and  donors  — 
who  at  each  stage  of  its  progress  have  borne  their  part  in  the 
work  and  administration  of  the  Seminary.  They  may  at  times 
have  differed  among  themselves  as  to  means  and  measures. 
But  they  all  did  good  service  in  the  cause.  They  all  concurred 
in  the  one  united  effort  of  building  up  the  Seminary.  Some  of 
them  have  ceased  from  their  earthly  labors.  But  their  work 
remains.  And  their  names  are  held  in  honored  memorial  for 
their  work's  sake,  and  for  the  Master's  sake,  whom  they  all 
served.  Most  of  them  the  writer  knew  personally,  and  he  has 
thought  it  an  honor  to  have  them  on  his  list  of  cherished  friends. 


REV.  JOHN  MATTHEWS,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER   II. 

ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER. 

1825-1839. 


Beginnings  at  Hanover.  College  and  Seminary  Together.  Dr. 
Edwards's  Description.  Rev.  John  Finley  Crowe.  His  Appeal  to  the 
Churches.  Salem  Presbytery.  The  Little  Grammar  School.  Revival  in 
the  Church  at  Hanover.  Dr.  Crowe,  Pastor  and  Teacher.  The  Academy 
Chartered.  Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Indiana.  Theological  Department. 
Dr.  John  Matthews  Elected.  Hanover  College.  Dr.  James  Blythe  Elected. 
Dr.  James  Wood  Elected.  Inauguration  of  Dr.  Matthews.  Other  Professors 
Elected.  Their  Character  and  Attainments.  Portraiture  of  Dr.  Matthews. 
His  Eminent  Ability.  Satisfactory  Progress  of  the  Institution.  The  Loca- 
tion at  Hanover.  A  Better  Location  Contemplated.  Why  Separate  from 
the  College.  Fundamental  Idea  of  the  American  College.  Importance  of 
Hanover  College.  First  Decade  of  Growth.  Sei*vice  Rendered  by  it  to  the 
Church.  Its  Subsequent  Progress.  Its  Successive  Presidents.  Its  Alumni. 
Its  Liberal  Donors.  Tribute  to  Dr.  Crowe  and  Others.  The  Directors  of 
the  Seminary.  First  Meeting  of  their  Board.  Its  Presidents.  Character 
of  its  Members.  Work  of  the  Seminary  and  College.  Their  Mutual  Rela- 
tion. 


The  beginnings  of  Hanover  College  and  of  the  Indiana 
Theological  Seminary  were,  from  the  first,  so  closely  inter- 
woven that  they  can  never  be  dissociated.  The  faithful  praying 
men  of  Salem  Presbytery,  who  conceived  and  carried  for- 
ward the  one  for  the  sake  of  the  Church  and  the  glory  of  God, 
did  no  less  for  the  other.  The  double  scheme  of  college  and 
seminary,  that  is,  of  classical  culture  and  ministerial  training, 
to  meet  the  wants  of  the  expanding  West,  grew  to  maturity  in 
the  same  earnest  minds,  between  the  years  1825  and  1830. 
Their  ideal  first  took  practical  shape  in  a  "  grammar  school," 
which  was  taught  by  the  Rev.  John  Finley  Crowe,  pastor  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Hanover,  and  a  few  years  later  was 

13 


14  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

incorporated  by  the  state  legislature  with  the  title  of  the 
Hanover  Academy. 

It  was  a  small  beginning,  but  it  was  a  beginning  that  had 
the  germ  of  life.  It  was  the  planting  of  a  tree  that  should 
live  and  bear  abundant  fruit  for  the  ages  to  come.  In  an 
address,  delivered  at  the  dedication  of  the  chapel  and  library 
building  at  Chicago  in  1876,  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  one  of  the 
early  alumni  of  the  institution,  has  given  a  graphic  picture  of 
the  country  and  of  the  work  of  the  pioneer  missionaries  in 
Southern  Indiana  about  the  time  these  incipient  efforts  were 
made. 

**  In  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century,"  says  Dr. 
Edwards,  "  Southern  Indiana,  although  the  most  populous  part 
of  the  state,  was  missionary  ground,  such  as  is  Colorado  or 
Wyoming  to-day.  The  work  was  full  of  difficulties.  The  for- 
ests were  heavy.  The  farms  were  small.  The  soil,  except 
along  the  streams,  being  a  tough  clay,  yielded  but  grudgingly 
to  the  toil  of  the  husbandman.  The  streams,  in  all  the  White 
Water,  the  Great  Miami,  the  Muscatatuck  and  the  Wabash 
regions,  were  greatly  given  to  freshets  and  floods.  The 
pioneer  missionaries  found  special  discouragements  in  their 
work.  The  population  was  sparse,  largely  uncultured,  and 
irreligious.  The  climate  was  damp  ancf  malarious.  The 
journeyings,  the  exposures,  and  the  various  discomforts  soon 
wore  them  out,  and  they  either  returned  to  the  more  favored 
regions  of  the  East  or  they  died  upon  the  field.  I  recall  the 
names  of  several  who  thus  succumbed  to  their  hardships  within 
a  few  years,  and  in  the  same  general  region  ;  one  of  whom  was 
the  lamented  Thomas  Searle,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Madison, 
and  supply  of  the  church  at  Hanover.  But  there  were  two 
who  did  not  die,  nor  give  out,  nor  give  up;  two  who  continued 
indefatigable  in  labors,  which  extended  over  eight  or  ten  large 
counties,  and  whose  constitutional  vigor  and  pious  zeal  sus- 
tained them  in  these  labors.  These  were  John  Finley  Crowe 
and  John  M.  Dickey." 

Dr.  Crowe,  who  became  the  principal  actor  in  the  movement 
for  a  seminary  and  college  in  Southern  Indiana,  has  left  on 
record  an  account  of  its  origin.     He  was  a  native  of  Greene 


1825-1839.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.       1 5 

County,  Tennessee,  and  was  born  in  1787.  He  pursued  his 
literary  studies  at  Transylvania  University,  at  Lexington,  Ky., 
and  his  theological  studies  at  Princeton  Seminary,  N.  J.;  from 
which  he  was  graduated  after  three  years,  with  its  first  class 
of  students,  in  181 5.  After  filling  the  double  office  of  pastor 
and  teacher  in  several  of  the  churches  of  Shelby  County,  Ken- 
tucky, he  received  a  call  from  Hanover  church,  Indiana,  to 
which  he  removed  in  1823.  Here,  again,  he  soon  combined 
the  two  offices  of  pastor  and  teacher. 

The  Presbytery  of  Salem,  to  which  he  and  his  church 
belonged,  at  that  time  consisted  of  only  nine  ministers,  and 
embraced  almost  the  entire  State  of  Indiana  and  a  large  part 
of  the  State  of  Illinois.  In  an  "Appeal  to  the  Churches  of  the 
Synod  of  Indiana  in  behalf  of  Hanover  College,"  which  Dr." 
Crowe  published  in  1858,  he  gives  the  following  history  of  the 
manner  in  which  these  early  educational  movements  began  at 
Hanover: 

''The  Presbytery  of  Salem,  at  their  fall  session  of  1825, 
appointed  a  committee  to  devise  a  plan  for  a  Presbyterial 
Academy,  and  to  fix  a  place  for  its  location.  A  variety  of 
considerations  led  to  the  selection  of  Hanover  as.the  place, 
and  the  manual  labor  system  as  the  plan.  The  report  of  the 
committee,  at  a  subsequent  meeting  of  presbytery,  was 
adopted,  and  a  committee  appointed  to  employ  a  teacher. 
The  committee  having  failed  to  secure  a  competent  teacher, 
the  presbytery  urged  the  pastor  of  Hanover  church  (Dr. 
Crowe  was  himself  the  pastor)  to  organize  the  school,  and  take 
charge  of  it  until  a  teacher  could  be  procured.  This  he  con- 
sented to  do,  and  on  the  ist  of  January,  1827,  he  opened  a 
grammar  school  on  his  own  premises,  consisting  of  six  boys, 
not  one  of  whom  was  pious,  though  all  were  sons  of  the 
Church.  And  this  little  grammar  school,  solemnly  dedicated  to 
Almighty  God  as  a  nursery  for  the  ministry,  was  the  nucleus 
both  of  Hanover  College  and  Indiana  Theological  Seminary. 
In  the  following  autumn  Hanover  church  was  favored  with  a 
precious  season  of  revival.  Forty-six  were,  on  examination, 
admitted  to  the  communion,  and  among  them  eight  of  the 
fourteen  students  then  in  the  academy.    This  display  of  divine 


i6  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

mercy  excited  such  an  interest  in  the  surrounding  churches 
that  the  number  of  students  in  the  academy  was  considerably 
increased." 

Dr.  Edwards,  in  the  address  already  referred  to,  relates 
some  of  the  circumstances  attending  the  opening  of  the  school. 
They  well  illustrate  the  narrow  resources  of  the  time  and  the 
energetic  spirit  of  the  man  on  whom  the  chief  burden  fell. 
*'  After  a  year  or  more  lost  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  secure  a 
suitable  teacher,  Mr.  Crowe  (not  Doctor  as  yet),  then  residing 
in  the  village  of  Hanover,  was  urged  to  take  charge  of  the 
enterprise,  which  he  did.  Near  his  dwelling  stood  a  \o^  build- 
ing, the  locm-house,  the  value  an^  various  uses  of  which  are 
well  known  in  pioneer  life,  whose  domestic  economy  includes 
the  raising  of  the  raw  material,  the  spinning,  the  weaving,  the 
coloring,  and  the  making  up  of  the  clothing,  the  bedding  and 
the  carpeting.  This  building,  much  to  the  inconvenience  of 
the  family,  was  despoiled  and  emptied  of  its  cumbrous  furni- 
ture, and  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1827,  was  opened  as  a 
classical  academy  ad  major  em  Dei  gloriavir 

From  this  time  forward,  through  many  years,  the  man  who 
was,  under  God,  its  principal  projector  and  founder,  gave  to  it 
his  best  thoughts,  his  most  arduous  labors,  his  most  earnest 
and  unceasing  prayers.  'At  one  time,"  says  Dr.  Edwards, 
"he  divided  his  farm,  and  gave  one-half  to  what  was  as  yet  a 
mere  grammar  school.  At  all  times  he  gave  it  his  undivided 
heart.  He  lived  to  see  his  fondest  projects  more  than  realized, 
though  possibly  not  as  he  had  designed,  and  both  a  college 
and  a  theological  seminary  attest  to-day  his  foresight  and  his 
holy  zeal.  His  portrait  ought  to  grace  some  one  o^  our  halls, 
and  his  story  ought  to  be  printed  for  the  good  of  American 
young  men.  There  have  been  more  profound  scholars ;  there 
have  been  more  brilliant  popular  preachers ;  there  have  been 
few  kinder,  more  courteous  gentlemen  ;  few  more  consistent 
Christians ;  and  when  he  deceased  (i860)  the  world  lost  a  good, 
benevolent,  patient,  peace-loving  man." 

*'In  the  year  1826,"  as  we  learn  from  Dr.  Crowe's  ''Appeal," 
already  cited,  "  three  new  presbyteries  had  been,  by  a  resolu- 
tion of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  taken  from  the  Salem  Presby- 


1825-1839.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.        1 7 

tery,  namely,  Madison  on  the  east,  Indianapolis  on  the  north, 
and  Wabash  on  the  west ;  and  in  the  following  year  the  Synod 
of  Indiana  had  been  organized.  The  Madison  Presbytery, 
within  whose  bounds  the  academy  was  located,  applied  to 
the  legislature  for  a  charter.  The  result  was  an  act  of  that 
body,  passed  December  30th,  1828,  to  incorporate  Hanover 
Academy.  The  projectors  of  the  institution  had  from  the 
first  indulged  the  hope  that  it  would,  with  the  blessing  of 
God,  grow  into  a  college,  having  attached  to  it  a  theological 
seminary.  Moreover,  they  confidently  expected  that  the 
Synod  of  Indiana  would  adopt  it  as  their  synodical  school. 
Hence  a  clause  was  inserted  in  the  charter,  giving  to  the  trus- 
tees the  privilege  of  placing  their  institution  under  the  control 
of  any  body  of  learned  men  whom  they  might  select.  The 
flourishing  condition  of  the  institution,  and  its  number  of 
pious  students,  led  the  presbytery,  at  their  fall  meeting  of 
1829,  to  suppose  that  the  time  had  come  to  propose  the  trans- 
fer to  the  synod,  giving  up  the  right  of  supervision  and  con- 
trol to  that  body,  provided  they  would  establish  a  theological 
seminary  in  connection  with  the  academy.  A  committee  was 
accordingly  appointed  to  negotiate  the  transfer. 

"The  Synod  of  Indiana  at  that  time,  October,  1829, 
embraced  the  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri,  and 
it  met  in  Bond  County,  Illinois.  In  due  time  the  committee 
of  Madison  Presbytery  presented  their  overture  on  the  subject 
of  a  transfer  of  the  institution.  The  result  is  found  in  the 
following  resolution  of  the  synod,  unanimously  adopted : 
*  Resolved,  that  this  synod  adopt  Hanover  Academy  as  a 
synodical  school,  provided  the  trustees  of  the  same  will  permit 
the  synod  to  establish  a  theological  department  and  appoint 
the  theological  professors.' 

"  The  condition  having  been  agreed  to,  the  synod  pro- 
ceeded to  elect  a  professor,  and  the  Rev.  John  Matthews, 
D.D.,  of  Shepherdstown,  Virginia,  was  unanimously  elected. 
Agents  were  appointed  to  solicit  funds  for  his  support.  The 
institution  was  accepted,  with  all  its  original  '  ends,  aims  and 
features,'  and  with  the  distinct  purpose  of  making  it  a  college, 
with  a  theological  department.     Dr.  Matthews,  after  a  visit  to 


i8  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

the  place,  accepted  his  appointment,  and  in  the  spring  of  1830 
moved  his  family  to  Hanover,  and  at  once  identified  himself 
with  the  institution,  consecrating  his'  whole  time  and  his 
admirable  talents  to  its  interests.  In  1833  an  amendment  to 
the  Act  of  Incorporation  was  obtained  from  the  legislature, 
changing  the  name  from  Hanover  Academy  to  Hanover 
College. 

"  In  the  meantime  an  active  agency  had  been  employed, 
both  in  the  East  and  in  the  West,  in  collecting  funds,  and  neces- 
sary buildings  had  been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
institution  and  its  theological  professor.  The  Rev.  James 
Blythe,  D.D.,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  had  also  been  secured 
as  president  of  the  college.  So  remarkable  was  its  success 
that  the  catalogue  of  1835  records  the  names  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty  students,  some  ten  or  twelve  of  whom  were  in  the 
theological  department." 

The  foregoing  statements  from  Dr.  Crowe's  ''Appeal"  are 
here  given  on  the  authority  of  the  Rev.  James  Wood,  D.D.,  a 
former  professor  in  the  institution,  who,  in  accordance  with  a 
resolution  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  its  annual  meeting  in 
1875,  at  Chicago,  prepared  a  historical  sketch  of  the  Seminary, 
from  its  beginning.  This  sketch,  making  a  small  manuscript 
volume,  is  now  in  the  library  of  the  Seminary."^ 

From  the  preceding  narrative  it  appears  that,-  when  the 
Synod  of  Indiana  received  the  institution  under  its  care,  and 
appointed  its  first  theological  professor,  in  the  person  of  Dr. 
Matthews,  the  boundaries  of  the  synod  embraced  the  three 
States  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri,  and  that  the  synod 
met  that  year  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  within  the  bounds  of 
which  the  Seminary  is  now  located.  How  singularly  was  its 
permanent  future  home  and  wider  field  of  usefulness  thus  fore- 
shadowed. "  In  all  the  other  Northwestern  States,  not  includ- 
ing Ohio,"  says  Dr.  Wood,  **  there  was  at  that  time  only  a 
single  presbytery,  composed  of  six  ministers  and  as  many 
churches  —  namely,  the  Presbytery  of  Detroit  under  the  care 
of  the  Synod  of  the  Western  Reserve." 

Dr.  Matthews  was  inducted  into  office  as  professor  of  theol- 

*  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Seminary.    By  Rev.  James  Wood,  D.D. 


1825-1839.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.        I9 

ogy  in  June,  1831.  The  actual  opening  of  the  theological 
department  must,  however,  be  dated  from  the  spring  of  1830, 
when  Dr.  Matthews  arrived  on  the  ground  and  began  his  work 
with  two  students,  whose  names  are  given  on  the  roll  of  183 1, 
viz.:  Robert  H.  Bishop,  Jr.,  of  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  Robert  C. 
Caldwell,  of  Pensacola,  Florida.  From  that  time  the  instruc- 
tion was  carried  forward  with  increasing  success,  by  Dr. 
Matthews  and  other  teachers,  until  1840,  at  which  time  the 
department  was  removed  to  New  Albany. 

His  first  assistant  was  Rev.  John  W.  Cunningham,  who  was 
teacher  of  Biblical  and  Oriental  Literature  from  1830  to  1833, 
and  professor  of  the  same  from  1833  to  1834.  He  was  the  first 
to  fill  the  chair  of  Sacred  Literature,  and,  as  we  learn  from  Dr. 
Edwards,  he  spent  a  whole  year  in  Andover  Seminary,  after  his 
appointment,  in  special  preparation  for  his  work.  In  a  few 
years,  however,  he  retired,  seeking  the  more  congenial  work  of 
the  pastorate,  in  which  he  continued  until  his  death.  In  1834 
he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  George  Bishop,  who  filled  the  chair 
in  a  most  acceptable  manner  till  1837,  when  he  was  removed  by 
death.  "Professor  Bishop,"  says  Dr.  Edwards,  "  came  to  his 
chair  from  an  important  pastorate,  with  a  high  reputation  for 
diligent  and  successful  study,  but  his  constitution  was  already 
impaired  by  unsparing  study.  He  w^as  a  fine  scholar,  an 
admirable  teacher,  and  withal,  a  fearless,  pungent  preacher.  He 
died  early  in  office  and  young  in  years,  but  was  greatly  deplored 
in  his  premature  decay." 

In  1836  Rev.  Oswald  Hunter  was  made  assistant  teacher  of 
Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Government,  but  does  not 
seem  to  have  held  the  position  long.  In  1838  Rev.  Lewis  W. 
Green,  D.D.,  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Ecclesiastical  History 
by  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  which  had  by  that  time  been  asso- 
ciated in  the  control  of  the  Seminary.  After  a  few  months' 
service,  however,  he  resigned  the  position.  He  afterwards 
filled  many  important  and  useful  positions  in  other  states,  and 
became  widely  known  as  a  theological  professor  and  a  college 
president.  He  was  a  man  of  learning  and  ability,  and  in  all 
the  posts  he  held  was  recognized  as  a  thorough  and  accom- 
plished educator  and  preacher. 


20  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Dr.  Green  filled  the  chair  of  Oriental  Literature  and  Biblical 
Criticism  in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary  at  Allegheny, 
Pa.,  for  about  seven  years.  He  was  elected  president  of 
Hampden  Sidney  College,  Virginia,  which  position  he  held 
about  eight  years.  He  was  then  called  to  the  presidency  of 
Transylvania  University  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  and  a  few  years 
later  to  that  of  Centre  College,  at  Danville.  After  five  years 
of  successful  labor  at  Danville,  in  the  double  position  of  presi- 
dent of  the  college  and  pastor  of  one  of  the  Danville  churches, 
he  died  in  1863,  in  his  native  state,  Kentucky,  in  the  sixty- 
eighth  year  of  his  age.^'' 

In  September,  1839,  Rev.  James  Wood,  D.D.,  was  inducted 
into  office  in  the  chair  of  Biblical  Criticism  and  Oriental  Lit- 
erature, which  had  become  vacant  on  the  decease  of  Professor 
Bishop.  From  that  time  on  through  many  years  Dr.  Wood 
was  one  of  the  most  active  and  useful  men  in  the  career  of  the 
institution.  As  professor,  he  was  called  to  fill  more  than  one 
chair  in  the  instruction  of  the  students.  He  possessed  a  rare 
tact  in  the  administration  of  affairs,  and  in  his  personal  inter- 
course with  men.  In  the  financial  success  of  the  Seminary  he 
became  the  most  important  factor,  especially  after  its  removal 
to  New  Albany.  *'  He  was,"  says  Dr.  Edwards,  "  more  than 
professor.  He  was  an  unwearied  and  successful  soliciting 
agent.  He  was  the  careful  superintendent  of  the  Seminary's 
property.  He  kept  the  refectory.  He  gave,  or  got  assistance 
for  every  indigent  or  troubled  student.  He  was  a  fair  scholar, 
but  was  a  better  theologian  and  preacher  than  exegete.  He 
had,  too,  that  kindly  tact,  that  Christian  art  of  *  putting 
things,'  which  enabled  him  to  bear  his  part  in  a  heated  contro- 
versy with  calmness,  with  firmness,  and  without  bitterness." 
Later  in  life  he  became  president  of  Hanover  College,  and 
was  once  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  whole  number  of  theological  students  in  the  institution 
during  this  early  period  at  Hanover  was  forty-six,  including 
many  whose  names  became  widely  known  to  the  Church  as 
successful  ministers  of  the  Word  and  faithful  pastors.  Some 
of  them  still  survive,  while  others  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus. 

♦Memoir  of  Rev.  L.  W.  Green,  D.D.,  by  Prof.  t,.  J.  Halsey.    Scribner  &  Co.,  1871. 


1825-1839.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.       21 

In  the  largest  of  the  early  classes,  that  of  1834,  stands  the 
name  of  the  veteran  editor  of  the  '*  Herald  and  Presbyter," 
Dr.  Joseph  G.  Monfort,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  who  still  lives  to 
do  good  service  for  the  Church. 

In  the  opening,  formative  period,  the  chief  labor  of  instruc- 
tion fell  upon  the  professor  of  theology,  Dr.  Matthews.  But 
he  was  in  the  full  maturity  of  his  thorough  scholarship  and  his 
versatile  powers,  and  was  well  able  to  bear  it.  During  a  part 
of  this  period,  for  about  two  years,  he  acted  as  president  of  the 
college,  and  often  filled  vacancies  in  the  instruction  of  its 
classes.  His  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  institution  was 
most  untiring  and  exemplary.  Dr.  Matthews  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  where  he  was  educated.  He  was  born  in  1772, 
and  licensed  to  preach  in  1801,  being  then  in  his  thirtieth  year. 
He  had  occupied  several  pastoral  charges  in  Virginia,  before 
taking  this  professorship  at  Hanover  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight. 
Here  he  had  no  regular  charge  as  a  pastor,  but  most  of  his 
Sabbaths  were  employed  in  preaching  in  the  surrounding 
country.  Though  overtures  were  repeatedly  made  to  him  to 
accept  other  important  positions,  he  unhesitatingly  declined 
them  all,  from  a  conviction  that  he  held  the  place  in  which 
his  labors  were  most  likely  to  be  conducive  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  Church.  By  his  ripened  experience,  his  thorough 
mental  discipline,  his  soundness  in  the  faith,  his  clear  intellect, 
conjoined  with  the  masculine  force  and  saintliness  of  his 
character,  he  was  eminently  qualified  to  be  a  theological  in- 
structor. As  such,  he  impressed  himself  on  every  student  that 
had  the  good  fortune  to  come  under  his  admirable  teaching. 

"  While  in  Virginia,"  says  Dr.  Edwards,  '*  he  was  the  con- 
temporary and  friend  of  a  body  of  ministers,  including  Drs. 
Archibald  Alexander,  Conrad  Speece,  Moses  Hoge,  John  H. 
Rice,  Waugh  and  others,  whose  solid,  scriptural,  spiritual 
theology  constituted  them  almost  a  distinct  school  of  divines. 
Dr.  Matthews  was  the  peer  of  any  in  that  honored  group  ;  and 
it  is  scarcely  extravagant  to  say  that,  had  he  and  Dr.  Archi- 
bald Alexander  exchanged  places,  the  history  of  the  Church 
had  not  been  materially  different." 

So  far,  the  progress  of  the  institution  had  been  satisfactory, 


22  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

and  its  success,  all  things  considered,  very  encouraging ;  but 
the  time  was  approaching  when  some  important  changes  had 
to  be  made.  The  theological  department  needed  a  wider  field, 
a  larger  development,  and  a  different  base  of  operations.  Dr. 
Edwards,  speaking  of  this  period,  says : 

"  In  a  few  years  experience  had  taught  several  practical 
lessons  in  regard  to  some  of  the  first  fond  theories  under 
which  the  Seminary  had  been  projected,  and  prepared  the  way 
for  some  important  changes.  The  manual  labor  scheme  did 
not  prove  a  financial  success,  nor  was  it  found  compatible  with 
the  true  normal  life  of  a  student,  unless  indeed  the  course 
of  study  were  modified,  and  the  time  for  accomplishing  it 
greatly  extended.  It  was  found  somewhat  an  inconvenience 
and  complication  that  one  charter,  and  one  Board  of  Trustees, 
should  cover  two  institutions  so  essentially  distinct.  It  was 
clear  that,  upon  many  accounts,  a  small  village  was  not  the 
best,  nor  the  proper  location  for'a  theological  seminary.  All 
professional  schools,  whether  of  law,  medicine,  theology  or 
polytechnics,  should  of  course  be  established  in  large  cities. 
And  it  was  felt  that,  in  a  work  so  solemn  and  important  as  the 
training  of  the  gospel  ministry,  more  than  one  synod  of 
the  Church  should  share  in  the  counsel,  the  burden,  the  bless- 
ing. The  manual  labor  department  was,  accordingly,  dis- 
continued ;  and  the  theological  department,  detached  from  the 
college,  was  in  1840  transferred  to  the  city  of  New  Albany, 
Indiana,  under  the  care  of  several  adjacent  synods." 

The  location  at  Hanover,  on  an  elevated  and  beautifully 
wooded  bluff  of  the  Ohio  River,  had  proved  thus  far  to  be 
a  good  one,  having,  as  it  did,  at  the  same  time  the  facilities  of 
a  well  organized  church  and  college.  But  these  advantages 
would  be  more  than  overbalanced  by  the  more  accessible 
situation,  and  the  higher  compensations  that  awaited  the 
removal  to  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  with  its  two  cities  of  New 
Albany  and  Louisville. 

The  history  of  the  institution  up  to  this  point,  in  its  double 
capacity  of  a  Christian  college  and  a  theological  school,  fur- 
nishes a  good  illustration  of  the  principle  on  which  nearly  all 
our  earlier  American  colleges  were  founded.     They  had  their 


1825-1839.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.       23 

origin  in  the  minds  of  consecrated  Christian  men,  very  largely- 
Presbyterian  or  Congregational,  whose  leading  purpose  was  to 
educate  the  youth  of  the  Church  and  of  the  country  on  Bible 
principles,  and  with  a  special  view  to  supplying  the  Church 
with  an  educated  and  godly  ministry.  In  their  view  education 
was  inadequate  and  unavailing  except  as  it  was  founded  on 
Christian  principles  and  made  subservient  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.  In  tlieir  view  the  college  was  nothing  except  as  it 
trained  young  men  in  the  knowledge  and  fear  of  God,  and 
prepared  such  of  them  as  were  called  into  the  ministry  for 
their  high  and  sacred  vocation.  In  this  fundamental  concep- 
tion of  Christian  culture  all  the  leading  colleges  in  New  Eng- 
land and  in  the  Atlantic  States — Harvard,  Yale,  Princeton, 
Williams,  Dartmouth,  Amherst,  Rutgers,  Dickinson,  Lafayette, 
Washington,  and  Hampden  Sidney,  had  their  origin,  and  long 
carried  on  their  work,  for  the  most  part  with  a  distinct  theo- 
logical department  attached. 

Precisely  such  also  has  been  the  origin  of  all  our  Western 
colleges,  just  so  far  as  they  have  been  founded  by  the  Church  ; 
that  is,  by  liberal  and  godly  men  connected  with  the  Church. 
Their  invariable  purpose  from  the  beginning  has  been,  and 
still  is,  to  furnish  a  higher  Christian  education  for  the  youth  of 
the  Church  and  country  and  to  train  a  learned  and  consecrated 
ministry.  Such  was  the  conception  and  purpose  of  the  emi- 
nently God-fearing  men — ministers  and  elders  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church — who  inaugurated  Hanover  College,  and  for  the 
first  ten  years  of  its  existence  sustained  a  theological  school  as 
a  department  of  the  college. 

But  the  time  had  come  when  it  seemed  advisable  that  the 
theological  department  should  have  a  distinct  and  separate 
organization  of  its  own.  The  Congregational  churches  of 
Massachusetts  had  already  organized,  as  early  as  1808,  a  dis- 
tinct theological  seminary  at  Andover.  The  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  also  had  inaugurated  its  first  dis- 
tinct theological  seminary  at  Princeton  in  18 12.  Other  similar 
seminaries  had  been  formed  at  Auburn,  New  York;  Prince 
Edward,  Virginia,  and  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania.  Following 
these  successful  examples,  the  theological  department  at  Han- 


24  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

over  College  was,  in  1840,  given  up,  and  merged  into  a  sepa- 
rately organized  institution  at  New  Albany,  leaving  the  college 
to  carry  forward  its  appointed  work  on  the  old  site. 

The  college,  thus  baptized  at  its  birth  with  a  Christian, 
Presbyterian  and  even  theological  spirit,  did  not  lose  any  of  its 
distinctive  principles  of  education  by  reason  of  this  loss  of  its 
theological  department  in  1840.  From  that  day  to  this  it  has 
been  true  to  its  high  vocation  as  a  Christian  school.  From 
that  day  to  this  it  has  been  largely  an  educator  of  Presbyterian 
young  men  preparing  for  the  ministry,  and  through  all  the 
intervening  years  it  has  been  one  of  the  most  important  feed- 
ers, not  only  of  the  seminary  thus  early  removed  from  it,  but 
of  other  theological  seminaries  of  the  Church. 

How  great  has  been  the  service  rendered  by  Hanover  Col- 
lege to  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  its  ministry  is  seen  from  a 
statement  made  by  Dr.  Crowe  in  his  "  Appeal  to  the  Churches 
of  Indiana,"  in  1858,  when  its  collegiate  existence  then  nurq- 
bered  just  twenty-five  years.  **  During  that  time,"  he  says, 
**  out  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  graduates  one  hundred 
and  twenty-six  are  Presbyterian  ministers  and  students  of 
theology,  a  proportion  of  over  one-half,  while  thirty-six  are 
teachers,  ten  of  whom  have  been  professors  in  colleges,  and 
many  of  the  rest  principals  of  prominent  seminaries.  One 
hundred  and  thirty  others  of  its  students  have  entered  the 
ministry  without  graduating,  making  two  hundred  and  fifty-six 
of  its  alumni  and  students  who  are  and  have  been  laborers  in 
different  parts  of  the  Lord's  vineyard,  some  in  foreign  lands, 
but  principally  in  the  Great  West."  "^ 

Twenty-five  years  later,  wiien  the  college  had  reached  its 
jubilee,  in  1883,  a  historical  sketch,  published  with  the  general 
catalogue  of  that  year,  shows  how  true  the  institution  had 
been  to  its  high  mission  and  its  primal  idea  as  a  school  of 
Christian  culture  and  a  training  school  for  the  ministry. 
"Through  trials  and  sufferings  which  have  almost  everywhere 
marked  the  history  of  higher  education  in  America,  Hanover 
College  has,  at  a  comparatively  small  cost,  done  an  immense 
work   for  Christian   education  in    Indiana   and    the   republic. 

*  Dr.  Crowe's  Appeal  for  Hanover  College,  page  4. 


1825-1839.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.       25 

Upwards  of  four  thousand  students  have  been  educated  in 
whole  or  in  part  within  its  walls,  many  of  whom  have  attained 
high  distinction  and  usefulness  in  the  ministry,  law,  medicine 
and  science.  It  has  graduated  five  hundred  and  forty-four 
students  in  the  departments  of  science,  the  arts  and  theology, 
and  a  much  larger  number  have  completed  the  preparatory 
course  and  gone  out  from  its  lower  classes.  These  students 
are  scattered  throughout  the  republic  and  in  many  foreign 
lands." 

During  the  period  of  its  history  the  presidential  chair  of 
Hanover  College  has  been  filled  by  the  following  distinguished 
instructors:  Rev.  James  Blythe,  D.D.,  1832;  Rev.  Duncan 
McCauly,  D.D.,  1838;  Rev.  Erasmus  D.  MacMaster,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  1838  ;  Rev.  Sylvester  Scovel,  D.D.,  1846;  Rev.  Thomas 
E.  Thomas,  D.D.,  1849;  ^^v-  Jonathan  Edwards,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
1855  ;  Rev.  James  Wood,  D.D.,  1859;  Rev.  George  D.  Archi- 
bald, D.D.,  1868;  Rev.  George  C.  Heckman,  D.D.,  1870;  Rev. 
Daniel  W.Fisher,  D.D.,  1879  —  '^^e  present  incumbent. 

Before  passing  to  another  chapter,  to  trace  the  history  of  the 
Seminary  on  other  fields,  after  its  removal  to  New  Albany  and 
Chicago,  it  will  form  a  fitting  close  to  this  record  of  the  period 
of  ten  years  at  Hanover,  to  give  the  following  testimonials  as 
to  the  character  and  service  of  the  liberal  donors  and  pioneers 
who  contributed  so  much,  both  of  time  and  money,  to  found 
and  to  maintain  the  institution  on  its  original  site.  Let  it  not 
be  forgotten  that  this  first  decade  of  the  history  belongs  to 
both  institutions  alike  —  the  college  and  the  seminary.  The 
noble  men  and  women  who  toiled  together,  and  identified  their 
names  with  the  beginnings,  have  sent  down,  their  influences 
and  their  honored  memory  through  all  that  has  followed.  Says 
the  writer  of  the  ''  Historical  Sketch,"  just  referred  to: 

''  To  no  man,  perhaps,  do  the  citizens  and  Presbyterians  of 
Indiana  owe  a  larger  debt  of  gratitude,  than  to  that  eminent 
man  of  God,  Dr.  John  Finley  Crowe,  who  for  thirty  years,  with 
heroic  benevolence,  self-denial  and  fortitude,  identified  himself, 
his  time,  talents  and  interests  with  the  cause  of  educci.tion  in 
our  Church.  Judge  Williamson  Dunn  is  another  name  illustri- 
ous in  our  early  history  among  the  founders  of  Hanover  and 


26  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Wabash  colleges,  giving  first  to  Hanover,  and  afterwards  to 
Wabash,  the  grounds  upon  which  they  were  severally  built. 
Another  pioneer,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Lapsley,  of  New  Albany 
(formerly  Mrs.  Elias  Ayres),  has  been  the  most  munificent  bene- 
factor to  this  early  effort,  giving  over  $30,000 — standing 
steadfastly  by  the  college  in  its  darkest  days,  and  securing  an 
imperishable  name  among  the  Christian  educators  of  the  West. 
Another  earnest,  modest,  learned  pioneer,  the  Rev.  William  A. 
Holliday,  of  Indianapolis,  left  one-third  of  his  estate,  now 
constituting  $20,000  of  the  permanent  endowment  of  the 
college.  Still  another  pioneer,  John  King,  Esq.,  of  Madison, 
after  a  life  of  prayerful  devotion  and  generous  gifts  to  Hanover 
College,  left  by  will  $13,000.  Others  of  smaller  means,  whose 
names  will  not  be  forgotten  by  God,  or  man,  in  the  early  annals 
of  Presbyterianism  in  Indiana,  have  added,  from  time  to  time, 
to  the  resources  of  the  college."  "^ 

But  before  leaving  this  old  classic  site,  around  which  so 
many  pleasant  associations  gather,  it  seems  very  appropriate 
that  we  should  enter  in  these  pages  a  brief  memorial  of  the 
faithful  Board  of  Directors  at  Hanover,  under  whose  fostering 
care  and  wise  counsels  this  little  school  of  the  prophets, 
through  ten  laborious  and  somewhat  doubtful  years,  had  been 
struggling  into  life.  A  small  manuscript  volume,  with  the 
inscription,  *' Records  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Indiana  Theological  Seminary  at  Hanover," 
and  in  the  handwriting  of  Rev.  John  Finley  Crowe,  who,  for 
most  of  the  time,  acted  as  secretary  of  the  Board,  has  been 
preserved,  giving  an  account  of  all  the  meetings  held  and  all 
the  important  action  taken  by  the  directors  during  the  whole 
decade. 

In  this  record  are  found  the  names  of  about  seventy  earnest 
men  of  God,  some  ministers  and  some  ruling  elders,  of  the 
churches  of  Indiana,  who,  during  these  ten  years,  by  appoint- 
ment of  the  synod,  had,  from  time  to  time,  held  the  office  of 
directors  of  the  Seminary.  Among  the  names  are  those  of 
venerable  and  devoted  servants  of  Christ,  widely  known 
through  all  the  region  at  that  day,  such  as   David   Monfort, 

*  General  Catalogue  of  the  Alumni  of  Hanover  College  from  1833  to  1883,  p.  7. 


1825-1S39.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.       27 

William  W.  Martin,  John  McElroy  Dickey,  James  H.  Johnston, 
Alexander  Williamson,  John  Finley  Crowe,  and  others,  who,  in 
the  double  work  of  missionary  and  evangelist,  or  pastor  and 
teacher,  had  been  the  very  pioneers  of  the  gospel,  planting  and 
sustaining  the  early  Presbyterian  churches  of  Indiana  and  other 
adjacent  states,  and  whose  names  to-day  still  linger  as  a 
precious  memory  in  many  congregations. 

The  Directory  as  elected  by  the  Synod  in  October,  1830, 
consisted  of  the  following  members,  viz. : 

Ministers — John  Finley  Crowe,  John  R.  ivloreland,  William 
W.  Martin,  Andrew  Wylie,  Leander  Cobb,  James  Thompson, 
B.  C.  Cressy,  Samuel  Gregg,  William  Sickles,  Samuel  R.  Alex- 
ander, Alexander  Williamson,  Samuel  G.  Lowrie,  John  M. 
Dickey,  James  H.  Johnston,  Calvin  Butler. 

Ruling  Elders — Samuel  Smock,  Jeremiah  Sullivan,  Victor 
King,  Alexander  Walker,  Samuel  G.  Graham,  Andrew  Weir, 
Williamson  Dunn,  Joseph  Hart,  James  H.  Thompson,  William 
B.  Laughlin,  John  Hendricks,  James  M.  Ray,  Ebenezer  Sharpe, 
James  Scott,  Burr  Bradley. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Board  was  held  October  26,  1830, 
at  which  the  following  members  were  present :  Alexander, 
Cobb,  Dickey,  Gregg,  Johnston,  Moreland,  Sickles,  Williamson 
and  Crowe,  ministers ;  and  Walker,  Ray  and  Weir,  ruling 
elders.  Rev.  John  M.  Dickey  was  elected  president  of  the 
Board,  Rev.  James  H.  Johnston,  vice-president,  and  Rev.  John 
Finley  Crowe,  secretary,  each  for  one  year.  The  Board  met 
annually  at  Hanover  on  commencement  occasions,  when  the 
students  of  the  Seminary  were  examined,  and  certificates  of 
scholarship  granted  to  those  who  had  completed  the  course  of 
study.  The  annual  meetings  were  always  opened  with  a  ser- 
mon by  some  member  of  the  Board,  previously  appointed,  and 
another  appointed  member  delivered  an  address  to  the  students 
at  the  closing  exercises. 

Dr.  James  Blythe,  who  had  become  president  of  the  col- 
lege, succeeded  Dr.  Dickey  as  president  of  the  Board  of 
Directors.  He  was  followed  in  the  same  position  by  Dr. 
David  Monfort,  and  the  latter  by  Dr.  Crowe.  The  number  of 
directors  was  thirty  at  the   beginning,  all  appointed  by   the 


28  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Synod  of  Indiana.  The  number  was  afterward  reduced.  In 
1839  ^^^  body  consisted  of  twenty  members — ministers  and 
ruling  elders  in  equal  proportion — one-half  being  chosen  by 
the  synod,  and  the  other  half  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
college.  The  roll  of  members  for  that  year,  as  shown  by  the 
record  book,  stood  as  follows:  Directors  chosen  by  the  synod, 
James  Blythe,  David  Monfort,  William  C.  Anderson,  D.  Latti- 
more,  W.  H.  Ferguson,  S.  Taylor,  William  C.  Matthews,  J.  Craw- 
ford, D.  V.  Smock  and  J.  L.  Martin;  Directors  chosen  by  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  John  Finley  Crowe,  J.  G.  Simrall,  William- 
son Dunn,  Victor  King,  E.  D.  MacMaster,  R.  Marshall,  T.  H. 
Brown,  R.  Simenton,  G.  Logan  and  S.  H.  Crane. 

When  we  look  back  over  this  intervening  period  of  sixty 
years,  and  consider  the  work  begun  and  the  work  accom- 
plished by  these  zealous  and  self-denying  pioneers  of  our 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Indiana,  in  laying  the  foundations  of  a 
Christian  college  and  a  theological  seminary  at  Hanover,  and 
then  call  to  mind  the  great  results  which  have  since  come  out 
of  this  double  endeavor  and  from  these  two  great  educational 
institutions — one  still  at  Hanover,  where  it  was  first  started  in 
1827,  and  the  other  at  Chicago,  where  it  was  started  again  in 
1859 — ^^^  c^^  scarcely  find  terms  sufificiently  .strong  to  express 
our  admiration  of  the  wisdom,  the  foresight,  the  energy,  the 
patriotism,  the  heroism,  the  sterling  religious  character  of  the 
men  who  so  faithfully  girded  themselves  to  the  work  of  laying 
these  foundations,  and  who,  by  the  grace  of  God,  persevered 
in  it,  not  only  for  one  decade,  but  for  many,  and  who  never 
gave  it  up  as  long  as  they  lived. 

We,  their  successors,  in  this  more  favored  generation,  who 
are  now  reaping  the  rich  reward  of  their  labors,  may  well  find  it 
in  our  hearts  to  honor  their  memory  and  call  it  blessed.  We 
can  do  no  less  than  acknowledge,  with  grateful  hearts,  how 
much  we  owe  to  their  noble  energy  and  their  self-sacrificing  zeal 
for  God  and  the  Church.  God  himself  has  honored  their 
memory.  They  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  fol- 
low them. 

The  two  institutions,  once  planted  together  by  the  same 
loving  hands,   though   now   separated  by   distance,   are   still 


1825-1839.     ORGANIZATION  AND  GROWTH  AT  HANOVER.       29 

united  in  spirit  and  joined  in  the  same  great  work  of  training 
an  efficient  and  faithful  ministry.  The  young  men  of  Hanover 
still  come,  in  increasing  numbers,  to  the  Seminary  at  Chicago, 
to  receive  their  final  preparation  for  the  service  to  which  they 
are  called  of  God.  And  the  honored  president  of  the  coHege 
still  stands,  as  in  earlier  times,  among  the  working  directors  of 
the  Seminary — taking  his  place,  in  rotation,  as  the  presiding 
officer  of  its  Board.  The  college  and  the  Seminary  are  to-day, 
as  at  the  beginning,  kindred  institutions,  sprung  from  the 
same  Christian  stock,  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  same  Pres- 
byterian soil,  nurtured  under  the  same  prayerful  influences, 
baptized  into  the  same  Divine  Spirit,  and  bearing  the  same 
good  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God. 


CHAPTER  III. 

REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA. 

184CH1851. 


A  New  Location  Needed.  Convention  of  1838.  New  Albany  Chosen  as 
the  Place.  Reasons  Determining  the  Choice.  Policy  of  a  Union  Seminary. 
Donation  of  Mr.  Elias  Ayers.  His  Letter  to  the  Board.  Accepted  by  the 
Directors.  Their  Work  of  Revision,  Accepted  by  the  Synod.  Two  Pro- 
fessors, ,Drs.  Matthews  and  Wood,  Elected.  Removed  to  New  Albany  in 
1840.  Charter  of  Incorporation.  Constitution  of  the  Seminary.  Efficient 
Agency  of  Dr.  Wood.  Donation  of  Mrs.  Ayers.  Eight  Years'  Administra- 
tion of  Drs.  Matthews  and  Wood.  Small  Salaries.  Much  Work.  Efforts  of 
Dr.  Wood  at  the  East  for  the  Seminary.  Death  of  Dr.  Matthews  in  1848. 
His  Life  Work.  Success  as  a  Theological  Teacher.  Other  Professors 
Chosen.  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice  Elected.  Dr.  Erasmus  D.  MacMaster 
Elected.  Dr.  Daniel  Stewart  a  Professor.  Dr.  Philip  Lindsley  Elected. 
Dr.  Wood's  Resignation.  Partial  Prosperity  of  the  Institution.  The  Work 
of  Instruction  Well  Done.  Eminent  Ability  of  Dr.  MacMaster.  Prejudice 
Against  Him.  His  Vindication.  Drs.  Breckenridge  and  Humphrey.  Dr. 
Lindsley's  Connection  With  the  Seminary.     His  Writings  and  Scholarship. 


The  rapid  increase  of  population  and  growth  of  the  Church 
in  all  the  Northwestern  States  during  the  decade  between  1830 
and  1840,  had  already  led  many  thinking  men  to  see  that 
Hanover  was  not  well  chosen  as  the  permanent  location  of  a 
theological  seminary  that  should  train  the  ministry  of  the  great 
Northwest.  It  was  far  too  near  the  southeastern  border  of 
the  field.  The  Seminary  thus  located  had  accomplished  good 
results.  It  had  done  well  as  a  harbinger  to  go  before  and  pre- 
pare the  way.  But  its  work  now  was  beginning  to  appear  far 
wider  than  its  local  habitation.  Moreover,  the  wants  of  the 
Church  in  this  southeastern  quarter  of  the  great  field  were 
already  provided  for  in  the  two  rising  schools  for  ministerial 

30 


REV.  JAMES  WOOD,  D.  D. 


1840-1851.      REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  LXDLANA.  3I 

education  at  Allegheny  and  at  Cincinnati.  And,  although 
in  1838  the  line  of  division  between  Old  and  New  School  had 
been  drawn  through  the  Church,  leaving  to  each  branch 
of  it  only  one  of  these  seminaries,  still  this  argument  for 
remov^al  was  not  without  its  force. 

The  subject  of  re-locating  the  Seminary\  after  consultation 
with  brethren  of  different  synods,  was  submitted,  in  the 
autumn  of  1838,  to  a  convention  of  delegates,  appointed  by 
the  Synods  of  Indiana,  Cincinnati  and  Kentuck}-.  The  con- 
vention met  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  after  a  session  of 
several  days,  determined  to  locate  the  Seminary  at  New 
Albany.  Indiana,  and  preliminary'  steps  were  taken  to  open  the 
institution  in  that  city  the  following  year. 

''  The  plan  adopted,"  says  Dr.  Wood,  "  was  that  each  of  the 
three  synods  there  represented  should  elect  and  sustain  one 
professor.  The  Synod  of  Indiana  was  to  sustain  Dr.  Mat- 
thews, professor  of  Theolog}\  The  Sj'nod  of  Kentuck>^  in 
anticipation  of  the  convention,  had  elected  Rev.  Lewis  W. 
Green,  D.D.,  professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History,  and  engaged 
to  provide  for  his  support.  The  Synod  of  Cincinnati  was  to 
elect  and  support  a  professor  of  Biblical  Literature." 

Dr.  Green  entered  on  his  official  duties  at  Hanover,  as 
already  stated,  in  that  year,  1838.  But  after  several  months, 
probably  from  three  to  five,  he  resigned  and  returned  to  Dan- 
ville, Ky. 

"  As  the  Cincinnati  Synod,"  continues  Dr.  Wood's  manu- 
script, "  had  not  yet  appointed  a  professor.  Professor  Green's 
resignation  led  to  the  call  of  a  special  meeting  of  the  conven- 
tion at  New  Albany.  After  deliberation,  the  convention 
resolved  to  place  the  Seminary*  back  in  the  hands  of  its  former 
directors,  appointed  by  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  the  convention 
not  having  authority  to  elect  professors.  The  Seminar}^  was 
accordingly  carried  on  at  Hanover  another  year,  during  which 
time,  1 839- 1 840,  arrangements  were  consummated  for  carr^^ing 
into  effect  the  measure  agreed  upon  by  the  convention  in 
1838 — namely,  to  remove  the  Seminary-  to  New  Albany. 

Prior  to  this  time  the  Seminary  had  been  controlled  by 
directors  elected  by  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  but  financially  it 


32  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

was  connected  with  Hanover  College.  The  trustees  of  the 
college  had  provided  a  house  for  the  use  of  Dr.  Matthews  for 
several  years,  a  room  for  theological  lectures  and  recitations, 
the  salaries  of  the  professors,  and  also  had  assured  to  the 
Seminary  a  common  interest  in  the  library,  which  was  mostly 
collected  by  donations  for  both  institutions.  The  books  of 
the  library  were  accordingly  divided  in  1838,  in  anticipation  of 
the  removal  of  the  Seminary  to  New  Albany.  About  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-six  volumes,  the  part  falling  to  the  Semi- 
nary, were,  in  1840,  removed  to  New  Albany."^ 

There  were  two  other  considerations,  besides  the  one  sug- 
gested in  the  last  chapter,  that  induced  the  friends  of  the 
Seminary  to  fix  upon  New  Albany  as  being  the  best  site,  at 
that  time,  for  its  new  location.  They  did  not  contemplate  a 
seminary  for  the  Northwest  alone,  but  for  the  Western  States 
in  general,  both  north  and  south  of  the  Ohio.  There  was  a 
strong  feeling  in  the  minds  of  many  leading  men  that  this 
central  line  of  the  Ohio  furnished  the  most  desirable  position 
for  a  school  of  this  kind.  They  thought  that  it  would 
strengthen  the  bands  of  brotherly  feeling  and  be  productive 
of  peace  and  amity  between  the  North  and  the  South  to  have 
these  schools  of  the  prophets  on  the  border  line,  where  they 
would  be  accessible  to  the  young  men  of  both  sections.  There 
were  already  the  Western  Seminary  at  Allegheny  and  Lane 
Seminary  at  Cincinnati,  both  on  the  Ohio,  and  what  seemed 
then  most  needed  was  another  still  farther  west,  to  open  its 
doors  alike  to  students  of  the  Northern  and  the  Southern  States. 
It  was  a  time  of  much  public  discussion,  and  of  not  a  little 
heated  controversy,  all  over  the  country,  on  the  disturbing 
subject  of  slavery.  Many  good,  patriotic  men  believed  that  a 
seminary  of  this  kind,  on  the  very  line  of  division,  where  both 
sections  could  meet  and  compare  views,  would  serve  to  break 
down  sectional  prejudices,  give  the  Church  a  united  ministry 
and  conserve  the  best  interests  of  the  country. 

The  second,  and  perhaps-  most  decisive  argument  for  a 
removal  to  New  Albany  was  the  offer  by  a  liberal  gentleman 
of  that  city,  Mr.  Elias  Ayers,  of  a  large  donation  to  its  funds 

*  Dr.  Wood's  Manuscript  History  of  the  Seminary,  pp.  12  and  23. 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  33 

in  case  it  should  be  thus  removed.  It  had  been  commenced  at 
Hanover  without  endowment  and  without  buildings  of  its 
own,  depending  solely  on  the  liberality  of  the  churches  for  its 
financial  support.  Efforts  had  been  made  to  secure  suitable 
buildings  for  its  professors  and  a  permanent  income.  The 
question,  as  we  have  seen,  had  been  settled  by  the  convention 
of  1838,  which  chose  New  Albany  as  the  proper  location.  The 
timely  donation  of  Mr.  Elias  Ayers  at  once  confirmed  and 
expedited  the  policy  of  removal. 

Mr.  Ayers  had  been  led  to  make  this  offer  at  the  suggestion 
of  Dr.  James  Wood,  who,  from  the  time  of  his  induction  into 
office  as  a  professor  of  the  Seminary,  contributed  much  to  its 
success  by  his  active  financial  skill.  Dr.  Wood  addressed  a 
letter  of  kindly  sympathy  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ayers  after  the 
death  of  their  son,  Edward  Ayers,  who  had  been  studying  for 
the  gospel  ministry,  and  who  was  the  last  of  a  large  family  of 
children,  all  removed  by  death  at  an  early  age.  In  this  letter 
he  ventured  to  propose  tb  Mr.  Ayers  that  he  should  make  a 
donation  to  the  Seminary  of  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  as 
an  offering  to  God,  in  memorial  of  his  promising  son,  whose 
work  on  earth  had  now  been  cut  short.  The  proposition  was 
favorably  received,  and  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  Mr.  Ayers  offered,  in  writing,  to  make  a  donation  of 
fifteen  thousand  dollars,  on  condition  that  a  second  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  should  be  received  from  other  sources  within 
three  years,  and  on  condition,  also,  that  the  Seminary  should 
be  removed  to  New  Albany,  according  to  the  resolution  of  the 
convention  in  1838,  already  mentioned. 

The  Synod  of  Indiana,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  moved  by  the  great  scarcity  of  competent  ministers 
of  the  gospel  in  the  Western  States,  had  laid  the  foundation 
for  the  theological  school  at  Hanover  in  1830,  in  close  con- 
nection with  the  college  at  that  place.  It  was  in  fact  but  a 
department  of  the  college;  yet,  even  then,  was  called  the 
Indiana  Theological  Seminary.  Though  feeble  in  its  begin- 
nings, and  embarrassed  for  want  of  funds,  the  institution 
enjoyed  such  tokens  of  the  divine  favor  as  encouraged  its 
friends  to  persevere  with    the    undertaking.      As   the   synod 


34  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

desired  it  to  be  a  theological  seminary  for  the  Western  Church, 
a  proposition  was  made  in  1838  so  to  modify  its  former  plan 
as  to  allow  all  the  synods  in  the  West  an  equal  share  in  its 
management.  The  proposition  was  accepted  by  two  of  the 
synods,  Cincinnati  and  Kentucky,  and  arrangements  were  made 
for  removing  the  Seminary  from  Hanover  to  New  Albany. 
But,  as  already  stated,  before  the  plan  as  thus  modified  was 
carried  into  full  effect,  the  institution  w^as  placed  again,  by 
those  who  had  undertaken  to  remove  it,  in  the  hands  of  its 
founders,  the  Synod  of  Indiana. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances,  and  at  this  important 
crisis  of  the  institution's  history,  that  Mr.  Elias  Ayers,  of  New 
Albany,  addressed  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  in  June,  1840,  his 
definite  and  most  timely  proposition  just  referred  to.  As  Mr. 
Ayers  was  the  first  large  contributor  to  the  funds  of  the  Semi- 
nary, and  as  this  donation  had  the  effect  of  fixing  its  location 
for  the  next  seventeen  years,  it  is  due  to  his  memory  to  give 
in  full  the  communication  in  which  he  announced  to  the 
directors  his  liberal  purpose.  He  was  a  true  man  of  God,  and 
an  earnest,  liberal  deviser  of  good  things  for  the  Church. 
Though  his  useful  career  was  soon  cut  short,  he  had  lived  long 
enough  to  serve  his  generation  well.  His  letter  shows  the 
deep  interest  he  had  felt  in  the  school  while  located  at  Han- 
over under  the  designation  of  the  Indiana  Theological  Semi- 
nary, and  also  the  larger  views  which  he  now  entertained  in 
bringing  it  to  New  Albany  and  making  it  the  seminary  of 
the  whole  Western  Church.  In  each  respect,  as  to  location 
and  enlargement,  the  views  of  Mr.  Ayers  were,  at  this  time,  in 
full  harmony  wdth  those  of  the  directors.  His  wise  fore- 
sight, and  his  generous  deed,  give  him  an  honorable  place 
in  the  roll  of  the  Seminary's  noblest  benefactors. 

The  letter  of  Mr.  Ayers  was  as  follows  : 
"To  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Indiana  Theological  Seminary : 

Dear  Brethren:  I  have  for  years  regarded  with  interest 
the  efforts  made  to  establish  and  sustain  a  theological  semi- 
nary at  South  Hanover,  and,  with  regret,  have  witnessed  the 
slow  progress  which  has  been  made  in  the  enterprise.  Believ- 
ing this  to  be  owing,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  want  of  cordial 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  35 

co-operation  of  the  Western  churches,  I  considered  it  a  very 
favorable  indication  when  the  delegates  appointed  for  the 
purpose  by  several  synods  agreed  upon  a  place  and  fixed  a 
location  for  its  future  operations.  That  arrangement  now 
appears  to  be  given  up,  and  the  success  of  the  institution 
seems  to  be  now  dependent  upon  the  efforts  of  its  friends 
made  in  some  other  form. 

In  view  of  the  great  importance  of  the  object,  I  have 
resolved,  after  mature  deliberation,  to  make  to  you,  and 
through  you  to  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  the  following  proposi- 
tion, viz. :  That,  on  the  conditions  hereinafter  specified,  I  will 
give  for  the  use  and  purpose  of  this  institution  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars,  of  which  I  will  pay  ten  thousand  dollars  in  cash, 
and  five  thousand  dollars  in  real  estate,  lying  and  situated  in 
the  city  of  New  Albany. 

1st.     As  I  desire  the  institution  to  be  a  theological  semi- 
nary for  the  West,  and  not  merely  for  the  Synod  of  Indiana, 
I  wish  it  to  have  such  a  location,  and  be  so  conducted,  as  will 
secure,  if  possible,  the  general  co-operation  and  patronage  of 
the  Western   churches ;    and,  believing    New  Albany  to  be  a 
central  and  most  eligible  point,  I  make  it  a  condition   that  the 
Seminary  be    located  either  in    or   near  that    city ;    that    the 
synod   so  modify  its  present  plan  as  to  admit  the  other  synods 
of  the  West  to  the  privilege  of  apjDointing  each  an  equal  num- 
ber of  directors  with    the  Synod  of    Indiana,  whenever  they 
shall   resolve  to-  co-operate  in   sustaining  the   institution,  the 
whole  together  forming  a  board  of  management  and   control, 
to  whom   shall  be  committed  the  appointment  of  professors, 
the  ratio  of  representation  to  be  according  to  the  number  of 
ministers  in  the  respective  synods  co-operating,  or  according 
to  such  other  ratio  as  may  be  mutually  agreed  uplon  by  the 
synods.     But,  if  it  shall  be-  more  satisfactory  to  all  concerned, 
the    Board   of    Directors  may  be   appointed    by  the   General 
Assembly,  and  the  supervision  of  the  Seminary,  together  with 
the  election  of   professors,  may  be  committed  to  that  body. 
In  accordance  with  the  above  conditions,  it  is  proper  and  desir- 
able that  the  name  of  the  Seminary  be  changed,  so  as  not  to 
leave  the  impression  (like  the  present  one)  that  it  is  the  semi- 
nary of  a  single  state. 


36  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

2d.  As  the  sum  I  propose  to  give  is  insufficient  of  itself 
to  endow  the  institution,  and,  as  I  am  unwilling  to  appropriate 
that  amount  to  the  object,  and  then,  after  all,  have  it  fail  for 
want  of  funds,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  specify  as  another  condi- 
tion, that  the  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  at  least  be  raised 
from  other  sources,  in  the  space  of  three  years  from  the  time 
of  the  meeting  of  the  next  synod,  which  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,'  together  with  the  fifteen  thousand  dollars  first  men- 
tioned, shall  be  a  permanent  fund,  to  be  safely  invested  tor  the 
suppon  of  two  professors,  as  far  as  the  income  shall  be  .suffi- 
cient for  that  purpose;  and,  if  it  shall  yield  more  than  is 
necessary  for  that  purpose,  the  balance  shall  be  appropriated 
to  such  other  objects  connected  with  the  advancement  of  the 
Seminary  as  the  Board  of  Directors  may  deem  most  import- 
ant. And,  as  soon  as  practicable,  it  shall  be  the  duty  and 
obligatory  upon  the  directors  of  the  institution  to  raise  a  fur- 
ther sum  sufficient  for  the  erection  of  a  good  and  commodious 
seminary  building,  and  for  the  ■  increase  of  the  library ;  and 
also  a  further  effort  shall  be  made  to  endow  a  third  professor- 
ship by  raising  an  additional  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  or  more, 
if  necessary,  to  be  invested  and  applied,  as  before  mentioned. 
The  time  in  which  the  last  conditions  shall  be  fulfilled,  I  leave 
to  the  judgment  of  those  who  shall  be  entrusted  with  the 
management  of  the  institution. 

3d.  If  during  the  lifetime  of  myself,  or  during  the  lifetime 
of  my  wife,  Mary  Ann  Ayers,  the  Seminary  should  become 
extinct,  that  is,  if  the  Board  of  Directors  should  consider  it 
inexpedient  to  prosecute  the  entergrise  any  longer,  the  dona- 
tion which  I  propose  to  give  shall  revert  back  to  myself,  or  to 
my  wife,  as  the  case  may  be;  or  should  it  after  our  decease 
become  extinct,  or  become  so  changed  in  its  character  as  to 
teach  doctrines  at  variance  with  the  Confession  of  Faith  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  (which  question  shall  be  decided  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church),  it  shall  be 
equally  divided  between  the  American  Bible  Society,  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  Board  of  Domestic  Missions, 
and  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

4th.     If  the  above  conditions  are  agreed  to,  and  the  Semi- 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  37 

nary  shall  commence  operations  in  New  Albany  next  session, 
I  will  give  the  immediate  possession  of  the  real  estate,  to  be 
used  for  the  temporary  accommodation  of  the  institution,  and 
will  give  a  bond  to  the  elders  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  this  city,  in  trust,  for  the  execution  of  a  deed  of 
said  property,  whenever  the  condition  shall  be  complied  with 
in  regard  to  raising  the  additional  fifteen  thousand  dollars ; 
and  also,  to  pay  the  other  ten  thousand  in  three  years,  or  as 
soon  thereafter  as  the*  money  can  be  raised  without  embar- 
rassment to  myself. 

But  should  it  so  happen  that  I  should  wish  more  time  than 
the  three  years  above  mentioned  to  pay  the  money,  I  will  also 
extend  the  time  mentioned  in  the  condition  requiring  the 
additional  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  to  be  raised  within 
that  period  ;  or,  if  the  fifteen  thousand  dollars  shall  be  secured 
and  made  available  within  that  period,  and  I  should  not  find 
it  convenient  to  pay  the  ten  thousand  dollars,  I  will  pay  the 
interest  on  that  sum  after  that  time.  The  deed  for  the  real 
estate  shall  be  given  and  the  ten  thousand  dollars  paid  to  any 
corporate  body  or  individual  whom  the  Board  of  Directors 
shall  designate,  unless  an  act  of  incorporation  shall  be  obtained 
for  the  institution,  in  which  case  the  donation  shall  be  con- 
veyed to  the  Board  of  Trustees  appointed  under  the  charter. 
I  am,  gentlemen,  very  respectfully. 

New  Albany,  June  15,  1840.  Elias  Ayers. 

P.  S. — By  synods  and  General  Assembly  I  mean  those 
bodies  sometimes  known  and  designated  as  the  *  Old  School ' 
synods  and  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  States.  Elias  Ayers." 

The  Board  of  Directors,  having  maturely  considered  this 
proposal  and  the  several  conditions  on  which  it  was  made, 
resolved  unanimously  to  accept  it,  and  to  make  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  carrying  the  plan  into  immediate  effect. 
With  so  able  and  liberal  a  contributor,  prompting  to  enlarged 
efforts  for  the  Seminary,  and  thus  leading  the  way,  all  its  friends 
were  at  once  inspired  with  new  zeal  and  higher  hopes  for  it  on 
the  wider  and  more  inviting  field  of  usefulness  at  New  Albany. 
Under  this  general  impulse  of  enthusiasm,  it  was  even  proposed 


38  HISTORY  OF  iMcCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

in  the  directory  that  the  institution,  when  removed  to  its  new 
location,  should  bear  the  name  of  its  liberal  benefactor.  Inas- 
much, however,  as  the  donation  of  Mr.  Ayers  depended  on  the 
raising  of  an  equal  sum  from  other  sources,  it  was  judged 
expedient  not  to  give  the  Seminary  the  name  by  which  they 
thought  it  might  very  properly  be  known,  until  it  should  be 
ascertained  whether  the  additional  sum  could  be  raised.  But, 
provided  the  Board  should  be  able  to  comply  with  the  required 
conditions,  and  the  donation  of  Mr.  Ayers  should  be  conveyed 
to  the  person  or  persons  authorized  to  receive  it,  it  was 
resolved  that  the  Seminary  should  be  known  thereafter  by  the 
name  of  the  Ayers  Theological  Seminary.  "^ 

In  October,  1840,  the  Plan,  or  Constitution  of  the  Seminary, 
so  revised  and  amended  as  to  be  suited  to  its  new  location,  was 
adopted,  and  under  it  directors  were  appointed  by  two  of  the 
synods,  Indiana  and  Cincinnati.  In  so  important  a  matter 
as  that  of  transferring  the  Seminary  from  Hanover  College  to 
New  Albany*  it  may  be  well  to  state  in  more  detail  the  steps 
by  which  it  was  done.  The  Board  *of  Directors,  thinking  that 
some  change  would  be  needed  in  their  own  membership,  and 
that  the  constitution,  under  which  the  Seminary  had  hitherto 
been  conducted,  should  be  so  revised  as  to  adapt  it  to  the  new 
and  wider  field,  appointed  a  committee  to  remodel  the  plan 
and  make  the  necessary  changes.  After  mature  deliberation 
by  this  committee,  the  Board  finally  agreed  upon  such  a 
revision  as  they  deemed  suitable  to  the  changed  conditions,  and 
directed  their  committee  to  lay  the  same  before  the  Synod  of 
Indiana  at  its  approaching  session.  They  also  requested  the 
synod  to  submit  the  revised  constitution  to  the  Synod  of 
Cincinnati,  in  order  to  secure  the  concurrence  of  that  body. 

The  directors  then  adopted  and  entered  upon  their  records 
the  following  final  minute,  October  2,  1840: 

"Whereas,  By  a  vote  of  this  Board,  in  adopting  the  propo- 
sition of  Mr.  Ayers,  the  Theological  Seminary  is  to  be  removed 
to  the  city  of  New  Albany;  and 

Whereas,  It  will  be  necessary  that  at  least  a  constitutional 
quorum  should  be  near  that  place ;  and  in  consideration  of  the 
remodeled  plan  and  laws  of  the  Seminary ;  therefore, 

*  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Seminary,  by  the  Directors,  published  in  1847. 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  39 

Resolved,  That  all  the  members  of  this  Board,  now  and 
hereby  tender  their  resignation  to  the  synod  ;  and  the  synod 
is  hereby  requested  to  appoint  their  proportion  of  directors 
under  the  new  order  of  things. 

John  Finley  Crowe,  Chairman. 

William  C.   Matthews,  Secretary." 

When  the  Synod  of  Indiana  met  at  Rushville,  in  that  state, 
in  October,  1840,  the  following  communication  from  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Hanover  College,  was  presented  to  the  synod 
by  Rev.  Erasmus  D.  MacMaster,  D.D.,  touching  the  removal  of 
the  Theological  Seminary : 

"  Whereas,  It  appears  to  be  desirable  that  the  Indiana 
Theological  Seminary,  heretofore  under  the  direction  of  the 
Synod  of  Indiana  and  this  Board,  should,  henceforth,  be  exclu- 
sively under  the  control  of  the  synod  and  such  other  ecclesi- 
astical bodies  as  may  concur  therein  ; 

Resolved,  That  the  synod  be,  and  it  is  hereby  requested  to 
consent  to  a  dissolution  of  the  connection  now  existing  be- 
tween the  synod  and  this  Board  in  the  direction  of  the  Semi- 
nary; provided,  nevertheless,  that  this  Board,  if  desired, 
continue^to  act  as  trustees  for  the  synod,  in  relation  to  any 
pecuniary  matters." 

On  motion,  the  preamble  and  resolution  were  adopted,  the 
connection  hitherto  existing  between  the  synod  and  the  college 
was  dissolved,  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  were  requested  to 
act  as  trustees  to  receive  any  donations  for  the  Indiana  Theo- 
logical Seminary. 

The  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  including  their 
act  of  resignation,  the  proposition  of  Mr.  Ayers,  the  plan  for 
removal  to  New  Albany  and  the  remodeled  constitution 
of  the  Seminary,  was  also  laid  before  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  at 
its  meeting  in  Rushville,  Indiana,  October  2,  1840.  After 
adopting  that  part  of  the  report  relating  to  the  ordinary  busi- 
ness of  the  preceding  year,  the  synod  entered  upon  a  full 
discussion  of  the  other  important  matters,  and  adopted  the 
report  in  full.^  "  The  revised  Constitution,!  with  its  preamble, 
plan  and  entire  body  of  laws, —  all  being  read  and  approved  — 

*  Minutes  of  Synod  of  Indiana,  1840.  f  Appendix  A. 


40  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

was  adopted  by  the  synod  as  the  revised  and  amended  Consti- 
tution of  the  Theological  Seminary  under  the  care  of  the 
synod,  and  now  to  be  removed  to  the  city  of  New  Albany." 
The  vote  of  the  directors  for  removal  to  New  Albany  had  been 
unanimous;  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no  dissenting  voice 
in  this  final  vote  of  the  synod. 

The  following  persons  were  appointed  by  the  synod,  as  its 
proportion  of  directors  of  the  Seminary,  under  the  new  con- 
stitution :  W.  C.  Anderson,  S.  Newell,  H.  H.  Cambern,  William 
C.  Matthews,  John  F.  Crowe,  E.  D.  MacMaster,  S.  Scovel,  min- 
isters ;  Elias  Ayers,  W.  Plumer,  J.  Bushnell,  Victor  King, 
W.  Dunn,  James  M.  Ray,  and  S.  D.  Maxwell,  ruling  elders. 

At  the  time  of  removal,  there  was  a.  debt  on  the  Seminary 
of  $2,000  due  Dr.  Matthews  for  salary  and  of  $4,000  due  the 
college  for  money  advanced  by  its  trustees.  These  claims 
were  assumed  and,  after  some  years,  settled  by  the  Board  at 
New  Albany. 

In  January,  1842,  a  Charter  of  Incorporation  ^  was  obtained 
from  the  Legislature  of  Indiana,  under  the  name  of  The  New 
Albany  Theological  Seminary,  giving  to  the  institution  its 
separate  Board  of  Trustees,  with  the  intention,  however,  of 
having  the  name  changed  in  accordance  with  the  preceding 
resolution  of  the  directors,  as  soon  as  Mr.  Ayers  should  pay 
over  the  donation  stipulated  by  him,  and  for  which  he  had 
given  his  bond.  He  had  at  once  placed  the  Seminary  in  pos- 
session of  that  part  of  his  donation  which  consisted  of  real 
estate,  to  the  amount  of  five  thousand  dollars.  But  his 
lamented  death  occurred  before  the  expiration  of  the  time 
allowed  to  the  friends  of  the  Seminary  for  raising  the  addi- 
tional fifteen  thousand  dollars  on  which  his  gift  was  condi- 
tioned. 

When  that  time  had  expired,  it  was  found  that,  though  the 
requisite  amount  had  been  obtained,  it  was  in  the  form  of 
notes,  and  not  in  cash  ;  in  consequence  of  which  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Ayers,  the  executrix,  proposed  to  the  trustees  to  accept 
the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  in  claims,  instead  of  cash,  as  a 
settlement  in  full  of  Mr.  Ayers's  bond.     This  proposition  they 

*  Appendix  B. 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  4I 

judged  it  expedient,  under  the  circumstances,  to  accede  to  ;  and 
the  bond  was  accordingly  surrendered.  As  was  expected,  con- 
siderable loss  was  sustained  on  these  claims.  Yet,  making  due 
allowance  for  such  losses,  the  donation  was  a  liberal  one,  and 
entitled  the  donor  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  Church. 
Inasmuch,  however,  as  the  bond  given  by  Mr.  Ayers  was  set- 
tled by  a  compromise,  the  trustees  did  not  feel  authorized  to 
take  any  further  action  with  regard  to  the  name  of  the  Semi- 
nary, unless  instructed  by  the  Board  of  Directors.  Mrs. 
Ayers,  also,  expressed  a  wish  that  nothing  further  should 
be  done  or  said  on  this  subject.  Thus  the  institution  continued 
to  bear  the  name  of  the  New  Albany  Theological  Seminary, 
as  designated  in  the  act  of  incorporation."'^ 

The  funds  thus  secured  by  the  donation  of  Mr.  Ayers  and 
others  enabled  the  Board  of  Directors  to  found  and  partially 
endow  two  professorships — one,  the  Elias  Ayers  professorship, 
and  the  other,  the  Indiana  and  Ohio  professorship.  Subscrip- 
tions for  the  latter  were  obtained  chiefly  within  the  Synods  of 
Indiana  and  Cincinnati.  Besides  having  commodious  buildings 
soon  erected  on  its  grounds  at  New  Albany,  the  Seminary  had 
a  library  which,  within  a  few  years,  grew  from  eight  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  volumes,  brought  from  Hanover,  to 
about  three  thousand  volumes.  The  action  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  in  accepting  the  offer  of  Mr.  Ayers  and  remov- 
ing to  New  Al]pany,  was  confirmed  a  few  weeks  later  by 
the  action  of  the  Synods  of  Indiana  and  of  Cincinnati. 
Arrangements  were  accordingly  made  for  opening  the  Semi- 
nary at  New  Albany  in  November,  1840,  under  its  two 
professors,  Dr.  Matthews  and  Dr.  Wood.  No  other  synods 
took  action  on  the  subject  at  that  time,  but  subsequently 
five  other  synods  resolved  to  co-operate  with  these  two,  and 
appointed  directors,  as  provided  for  in  the  plan  of  the 
Seminary,  f  These  were  the  Synod  of  Missouri  in  1841,  the 
Synod  of  Illinois  in  1842,  the  Synod  of  Northern  Indiana 
in  1844,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  in  1846,  and  the  Synod 
of  Nashville  in  1846.  It  is  thus  seen  that  seven  Western  syn- 
ods, four  of  them  north  of  the  Ohio,  two  of  them  south  of  it, 

*  Historical  Sketch,  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  page  19.       t  Appendix  A. 


42  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

and  one  west  of  the  Mississippi,  did,  within  a  few  years,  co- 
operate in  the  joint  endeavor  to  establish  at  New  Albany  a 
training  school  for  the  ministry,  which  should  cover  the  whole 
Western  field,  both  North  and  South.  And  who  at  this  day, 
looking  back,  can  say  that  the  idea  was  not  a  good  one,  or  that 
it  would  not  have  promoted  the  best  interests  of  the  Church 
had  it  been  carried  out  ? 

On  the  removal  of  the  institution  to  New  Albany,  the  rais- 
ing of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  from  other  sources,  the  condition 
of  Mr.  Ayers's  donation,  was  accomplished  within  the  prescribed 
time  through  the  agency  of  Dr.  Wood  and  others.  These  two 
amounts,  together  with  liberal  donations  from  New  Albany, 
from  St.  Louis,  and  from  New  York  and  other  Eastern  cities, 
secured  by  Dr.  Wood,  enabled  the  Seminary  to  obtain  a  large 
and  eligible  lot  of  ground  within  the  city  limits  at  New 
Albany,  and  to  erect  thereon  commodious  buildings,  with 
library,  recitation  rooms,  chapel  and  dormitories  for  the  stu- 
dents. The  site  was  elevated,  convenient  and  beautiful,  with  a 
fine  view  of  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  and  as  good  as  any  in 
the  city. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Ayers,  Dr.  Wood  obtained  from 
Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Ayers,  his  widow,  a  bond  for  an  additional  fif- 
teen thousand  dollars,  payable  at  her  decease.  But  the  bond, 
which  had  not  been  paid,  was  surrendered  on  the  removal  of 
the  Seminary  to  Chicago  in  1859,  the  terms  of  the  donation 
being  such  as  not  to  be  binding  on  the  donor  unless  the  Semi- 
nary remained  at  New  Albany. 

For  eight  years  following  this  transfer  to  New  Albany,  that 
is  until  the  death  of  Dr.  Matthews  in  1848,  the  wdiole  duty  of 
instructing  the  classes  devolved  on  the  two  professors  who  had 
come  with  it — Dr.  Matthews  and  Dr.  Wood.  But  they  were 
men  of  earnest  zeal  and  of  tried  devotion  to  their  work.  The 
income  of  the  institution  was  not  adequate  to  meet  its  current 
expenses.  The  two  professors  did  their  work  well,  as  attested 
from  year  to  year  in  the  minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in 
the  reports  of  its  committees  to  examine  the  students.  Yet 
each  professor  found  occasion  to  exercise  the  graces  of 
patience,  perseverance  and  self-denial,  during  those  years.    The 


I 


REV.   DANIEL  STEWART,   D.  D. 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  43 

nominal  salary  of  each  was  twelve  hundred  dollars  a  year;  but 
each  voluntarily  relinquished  annually  two  hundred  dollars  of 
it  in  aid  of  the  Seminary.  Dr.  Matthews  often  supplied  a  pul- 
pit in  one  of  the  New  Albany  churches,  and  Dr.  Wood  did 
similar  work,  during  his  vacations,  in  the  churches  of  St. 
Louis;  and  thus  they  contrived  to  live  comfortably,  as  we 
learn  from  their  own  testimony. 

In  the  years  1847  and  1848  Dr.  Wood  made  two  visits 
to  New  York,  where  he  conferred  with  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer  and 
other  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Education,  and 
where  two  public  meetings  were  held,  one  in  each  year,  at  his 
instance,  to  take  into  consideration  the  best  method  of  aiding 
the  cause  of  collegiate  and  theological  education  in  the  West. 
Much  sympathy  was  expressed  on  all  sides  and  some  substan- 
tial aid  given  for  the  Seminary.  So  urgent  was  Dr.  Wood's 
appeal  that  the  Board  of  Education  was  induced  to  make  an 
appropriation  to  the  New  Albany  Seminary  for  three  years 
successively,  beginning  with  1848. 

The  Board  of  Education,  in  its  annual  report  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  in  1848,  laid  the  matter  before  that  body,  and 
reiterated  it  again  in  1849,  ^^gi^g  the  cause  of  the  Western 
colleges  and  seminaries.  Referring  to  a  resolution  on  the 
subject  passed  by  the  Assembly  of  1848,  the  report  of  1849 
says :  "  The  immediate  occasion  of  this  resolution  was  the 
wants  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  New  Albany,  the  young- 
est of  the  sister  institutions  of  our  Church.  During  a  period 
of  great  pecuniary  embarrassment,  and  amidst  many  discour- 
agements, the  friends  of  theological  education  at  the  West  and 
Southwest  have  persevered  in  sustaining  this  Seminary  of 
learning  and  religion.  Its  present  comparatively  prosperous 
state  as  to  finances  is  believed  to  be  chiefly  owing  to  the  labors 
of  Dr.  Wood,  one  of  its  professors,  and  the  idea  of  devising  a 
plan  at  the  East  for  the  promotion  of  collegiate  and  theological 
education  in  the  West  was  strenuously  and  favorably  urged  by 
him  at  a  meeting  called  for  the  purpose  in  January,  1848."  The 
result  was  a  determination  on  the  part  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion to  apply  to  the  General  Assembly  for  power  to  commence 
operations  immediately  in  this  important  department. 


44  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

The  foregoing  statement  of  facts,  as  it  regards  Dr.  Wood's 
personal  efforts  at  the  East  in  behalf  of  the  Seminary,  is  taken 
mainly  from  his  manuscript  history  of  the  Seminary,  already 
quoted  from  at  length.  But  it  is  confirmed  by  the  writer's 
own  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Wood,  whom  he  knew  in  the  West 
as  one  of  the  most  indefatigable  and  successful  of  financial 
agents. 

During  the  first  eight  years  at  New  Albany  there  was  no 
increase  in  the  number  of  the  faculty.  The  whole  burden  of 
instruction  rested  on  the  two  professors  who  had  been  inaugu- 
rated at  Hanover.  The  average  number  of  students  matricu- 
lated during  this  period  was  nine  or  ten  each  year,  rising  one 
year  to  thirteen.  Still  the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  hard- 
working faculty  had  reason  to  feel  that  they  were  not  with- 
out the  sympathy  of  the  Church  in  their  self-denying  efforts 
to  build  up  an  institution  adequate  to  the  need  of  the  times, 
although  there  was  not  a  full  and  hearty  co-operation  on 
the  part  of  the  seven  widely-scattered  synods,  which  had  vir- 
tually endorsed  it,  and,  by  appointing  directors,  had,  in  fact, 
made  it  their  own  Seminary.  A  more  substantial  co-operation 
in  the  way  of  pecuniary  aid  was  greatly  needed,  and,  had  it 
been  given  in  time,  the  institution  would  have  produced  much 
larger  results. 

As  it  was,  Dr.  Wood's  two  visits  to  the  East  showed  clearly 
how  strong  was  the  feeling  of  good-will  in  that  quarter  for  the 
energetic  professors  and  for  the  struggling  Seminary.  Had 
there  been  financial  strength  enough  then  available  to  endow 
the  chairs  of  a  full-  faculty  of  instruction,  and  co-operation 
enough  to  have  filled  the  Seminary  halls  with  all  the  Western 
candidates  for  the  mini-stry,  it  would  not  have  taken  many 
years  to  demonstrate  that  New  Albany  was  not,  after  all,  an 
ill-chosen  location  for  a  union  theological  seminary.  Such 
conditions  of  success,  however,  were  not  to  be  fulfilled  at  that 
time. 

Dr.  Matthews  died  at  New  Albany  on  the  19th  of  May, 
1848,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  funeral  ser- 
mon was  preached  by  his  colleague,  Dr.  Wood.  A  few  years 
before  his  death  he  had  begun  to  feel  the  infirmities  of  age, 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  45 

but  he  labored  on,  with  little  or  no  intermission,  until  almost 
the  close  of  life,  and  at  last  died  suddenly  from  a  surgical  oper- 
ation for  an  internal  malady,  to  which  he  had  been  urged  by 
his  friends  and  to  which  he  at  last  consented.  His  lectures 
on  theology  to  the  students  had  been  continued  until  within  a 
week  of  his  death.  He  had  been  twice  married  and  left  six 
sons,  all  of  whom  were  graduates  of  colleges,  three  of  whom 
became  very  able  and  eloquent  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church:  namely,  Drs.  William  C.  and  John  D.  Matthews,  of 
Kentucky,  and  Dr.  Robert  C.  Matthews,  of  Illinois,  who  was 
one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Seminary  at  Chicago. 

Besides  a  number  of  sermons  on  different  occasions  which 
he  published.  Dr.  Matthews  also  published  two  small  but  very 
valuable  works ;  one  entitled  *'  Letters  on  the  Divine  Pur- 
pose," and  the  other  "  The  Influence  of  the  Bible."  He  was 
an  accurate  scholar,  an  instructive  preacher,  a  skilful  teacher, 
and  a  thorough  theologian,  rooted  and  grounded  in  all  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Calvinistic  system.  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  who 
was  one  of  his  pupils  in  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany,  gives 
the  following  interesting  portraiture  of  the  man  and  of  his 
methods  of  instruction  : 

"  The  great  characteristic  of  his  mind  was  simplicity.  He 
defined  everything  to  its  ultimate  elements.  He  traced  every- 
thing through  all  its  history  to  its  remotest  possible  and 
logical  uses.  His  mind  seemed  to  be  a  case  of  pigeon-holes, 
where  every  thought  seemed  to  lie  by  itself  and  always  ready 
for  immediate  use.  His  power  of  definition  was  inimitable,  and 
gave  him  signal  and  speedy  sjuccess  in  controversy.  Whoever, 
in  debate  with  him,  failed  to  detect  mistake  or  fallacy  in  defi- 
nitions, might  as  well  concede  the  whole  argument.  His  sole 
text-book  as  professor  was  the  Confession  of  Faith,  out  of 
which  he  drew  an  extensive  scheme  of  both  didactics  and 
polemics.  His  course  was  prefaced  by  lectures  upon  mental 
philosophy  and  logic,  as  bearing  upon  the  ministerial  office 
and  work.  His  method  was  the  Socratic,  both  for  instruction 
and  disputation. 

"  His  observation  had  been  careful,  his  experience  varied, 


46  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

his  thinking  deliberate  and  thorough  ;  so  that,  while  never  vol- 
uble, he  was  always  ready  to  enter  at  once  upon  any  train  of 
remark  or  discussion,  and  always  with  the  right  word  for  every 
place.  His  promptitude,  indeed,  resembled  special  preparation. 
Upon  one  occasion  he  was  attending  worship  in  the  village 
church  at  Hanover,  when  the  pastor,  Rev.  W.  W.  Martin,  was 
suddenly  overcome  by  illness,  and  was  borne,  faint  and  uncon- 
scious, out  of  the  house.  The  text  had  been  taken,  and  the 
sermon  introduced,  but  not  fully  laid  out.  As  soon  as  the 
commotion  caused  by  the  minister's  illness  had  somewhat  sub- 
sided, Dr.  Matthews,  by  request  of  the  elders,  ascended  the 
pulpit,  and,  beginning  at  the  point  w^here  the  sermon  had  been 
interrupted,  with  '  as  the  brother  would  no  doubt  have  said,'  he 
went  forward  without  pause,  and  completed  a  most  satisfactory 
discourse. 

"  Upon  another  occasion  he  preached  a  sermon  of  great 
impressiveness  to  a  crowded  house.  As  he  came  from  the 
pulpit  a  committee  of  gentlemen  pressed  forward  and  requested 
that  a  copy  of  the  sermon  might  be  furnished  for  publication. 
*  I  have  not  a  scratch  of  it,'  replied  the  Doctor.  But  his  was  in 
eminent  degree  the  power  of  godliness.  The  first,  last  and 
deepest  impression  left  upon  his  students,  his  friends  and  his 
neighbors,  was  that  he  was  a  holy  man,  of  deep  and  rare  attain- 
ment in  grace,  of  rich  and  ripened  fruit  of  the  indwelling 
Spirit  of  Christ." 

The  death  of  Dr.  Matthews,  which  occurred  about  six  weeks 
before  the  close  of  the  session,  threw  the  whole  duty  of  instruc- 
tion upon  Dr.  Wood,  who  had  thus  to  hear  all  recitations  and 
conduct  the  classes  through  their  reviews  for  the  final  exami- 
nations. This  he  was  enabled  to  do,  and  also,  at  the  opening 
of  the  next  session,  1848- 1849,  to  carry  on  the  Seminary  alone 
for  one-quarter  of  the  term,  after  which  time  he  was  assisted 
by  Rev.  Daniel  Stewart,  D.D.,  the  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian church  of  New  Albany,  who  had  been  appointed  to  give 
instruction  in  Biblical  Literature  for  the  remainder  of  the 
session.  Dr.  Stewart  spent  the  vacation  in  a  trip  to  Europe, 
and  on  his  return  in  1849,  "^^^  elected  to  the  chair  of  Biblical 
Literature. 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  47 

Under  this  joint  administration  of  Dr.  Matthews  and  Dr. 
Wood,  the  Seminary  attained  a  good  degree  of  prosperity,  the 
whole  number  of  students  rising  to  about  twenty-seven^  and 
for  the  three  years  1842,  1843  ^^^  ^844  the  number  of  new 
students  matriculating  being  thirteen,  twelve  and  ten  respect- 
ively. In  1848,  their  last  year  together,  the  matriculants  were 
eleven,  and  ten  the  year  following.  It  was  the  day  of  trial 
and  discouragement,  arising  from  many  causes;  but,  all  things 
considered,  the  success  was  such  as  to  show  that  the  Seminary 
was  not  without  the  approval  of  the  Church  and  the  blessing 
of  God. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  after  the 
death  of  Dr.  Matthews,  Rev.  Nathan  Lewis  Rice,  D.D.,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  was  elected  professor  of  Theology,  and  Rev. 
Nicholas  Murray,  D.D.,  of  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  pro- 
fessor of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church  Government.  The 
salary  of  each  professorship  was  twelve  hundred  dollars,  pay- 
able at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  the  income  of  the  Seminary 
was  somewhat  uncertain.  Both  these  gentlemen  felt  obliged 
to  decline.  ^ 

Soon  after,  at  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors, Rev.  Erasmus  Darwin  MacMaster,  D.D.,  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  Theology,  but  did  not  enter  on  its  duties  till  the 
autumn  of  1849.  ^^^  October  of  this  year,  Drs.  MacMaster  and 
Stewart  were  inaugurated  in  their  respective  chairs,  and  at  once 
entered  on  their  work.  At  the  same  time  Dr.  Wood,  by  his 
own  consent,  was  transferred  from  the  chair  of  Biblical  Liter- 
ature to  that  of  Ecclesiastical  History.  From  this  date  the 
Seminary  had  three  professors  (though  not  the  same  persons 
throughout)  until  it  was  offered  to  the  General  Assembly  in 
1853.     After  that  it  had  but  two,  until  its  removal  to  Chicago. 

In  the  year  1850  the  Rev.  Philip  Lindsley,  D.D.,  a  gentle- 
man widely  known  at  the  East  and  the  West  as  a  scholar  and 
an  educator,  having  been  fifteen  years  a  professor  in  Princeton 
College,  and  after  that  for  twenty-five  years  president  of  Nash- 
ville University,  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Biblical  Archaeology 
and  Church  Polity.     Having  resigned  the  presidency  at  Nash- 

*  Presbyterian  Expositor  of  May,  1859. 


48  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  bEMiXARv. 

ville,  Tennessee,  and  removed  to  New  Albany,  he  began  the 
work  of  his  chair  in  January,  185 1.  In  the  April  following 
Dr.  Wood  tendered  his  resignation,  in  order  to  become  general 
agent  of  the  Board  of  Education  for  the  West  and  South. 
Dr.  Lindsley's  chair  had  been  provided  for  outside  of  any  means 
then  at  the  disposal  of  the  Seminary.  Still,  the  resources  of 
the  Seminary  were  insufficient  to  pay  even  two  professors,  in 
consequence  of  which  Dr.  Wood  felt  constrained  to  resign  his 
position. 

It  was  not,  however,  merely  the  location  at  New  Albany 
which  retarded  the  endowment  and  growth  of  the  Seminary. 
Its  failure  to  advance  was  in  part  due  to  the  exciting  conflicts 
of  the  times,  especially  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  which  already 
began  to  sow  suspicion  among  brethren  of  the  same  church 
and  to  prevent  their  cordial  co-operation  in  support  of  the 
Seminary.  Dr.  MacMaster,  before  his  removal  to  New  Albany, 
had  been  charged  with  being  an  abolitionist.  Though  the 
charge  was  repelled  with  his  emphatic  disavowal  and  his  public 
declaration  that  he  was  willing  to  stand  by  all  the  deliverances 
of  the  General  Assembly  on  the  question  of  slavery  for  sixty 
years  past,  still,  it  had  the  effect  of  exciting  a  strong  prejudice 
against  him,  especially  in  the  region  south  of  the  Ohio. 
Besides  this,  Dr.  MacMaster,  while  president  of  the  college  at 
Hanover,  had,  with  the  concurrence  of  others,  undertaken  to 
remove  the  college  to  Madison,  six  miles  distant,  which  he 
regarded  as  a  better  location.  The  project  failed,  but  led  to  a 
bitter  controversy.  It  had  the  effect  of  alienating  from  him 
for  a  time  some  of  the  early  and  influential  friends  of  the 
Seminary  within  the  Synods  of  Indiana  and  Cincinnati,  who 
opposed  his  election  at  New  Albany  and  withdrew  their  sup- 
port from  the  Seminary.  Some  of  them  went  so  far  as  to  say 
that  "they  regarded  Dr.  MacMaster  as  wholly  unfit  for  the 
position  of  a  theological  teacher."  "^ 

Notwithstanding  this  adverse  judgment,  Dr.  MacMaster 
proved  himself,  while  at  New  Albany,  to  be  a  theological 
teacher  of  the  first  order.  He  was  thoroughly  acquainted 
with   his   whole    department    and     thoroughly   competent   to 

*  Pamphlet  on  the  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary,  by  N.  I^.  Rice,  Chicago,  1857. 


1840-1851.       RExMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  49 

impart  the  instruction  of  his  chair.  He  was  a  sound  Scripture 
exegete  and  an  admirable  expository  preacher.  It  would  be 
safe  to  affirm  that  no  pupil  under  his  instruction  at  New 
Albany  for  any  length  of  time  left  the  institution  without  the 
highest  admiration  for  his  learning  and  ability  and  the  warmest 
appreciation  of  his  earnest,  godly  character.  Still,  the  want 
of  co-operation  and  confidence  amongst  leading  men  on  both 
sides  of  the  Ohio  in  support  of  their  own  institution,  engen- 
dered by  these  prejudices  and  conflicts,  greatly  militated  against 
its  prosperity  and  prepared  the  way  for  other  attempts  to 
found  a  seminary. 

Influenced  partly  by  the  unsatisfactory  condition  of  the 
Seminary  at  New  Albany  at  this  time.  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice, 
with  Dr.  James  Hoge  and  others  in  the  Synod  of  Ohio,  under- 
took the  project  of  founding  a  new  theological  seminary  for 
the  West,  to  be  located  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  This  scheme 
awakened  much  discussion  in  the  public  prints  of  the  time, 
and  some  sharp  controversy  as  to  the  fitness  of  New  Albany 
for  the  site  of  a  seminary  and  as  to  the  views  of  Dr.  Mac- 
Master  on  the  subject  of  Southern  slavery.  In  1850  an  able 
review  of  the  whole  case  was  published  in  the  ''  Presbyterian 
Herald"  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  afterward  in  pamphlet 
form,  bearing  the  joint  signatures  of  Drs.  William  L.  Brecken- 
ridge  and  Edward  P.  Humphrey,  pastors  in  Louisville.  The 
pamphlet  contained  a  full  vindication  of  the  position  and 
character  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  and  clearly  showed  that  his  opin- 
ions on  the  exciting  subject  of  slavery  were  precisely  those  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  as  expressed  in  the  deliverances  of 
the  General  Assembly  for  the  preceding  sixty  years.  At  the 
close  of  their  candid  discussion  the  writers  give  the  following 
testimonial  and  endorsement  of  Dr.  MacMaster: 

"  For  ourselves,  connected  as  we  are  with  slavery,  both  of 
us  living  among  slaves,  one  of  us  made  a  slaveholder  in  early 
childhood,  as  he  was  made  an  orphan,  by  the  dispensation  of 
Providence,  and  thus  obliged  to  know  something  of  the  system 
of  slavery,  we  find  in  Dr.  MacMaster's  views  on  the  subject  no 
objection  to  him  as  a  friend,  as  a  minister  or  as  a  professor. 
Neither,  to  our  knowledge,  do  the  people  among  whom  we 


50  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

live,  slaveholders  or  others.  For  years  past,  since  the  time  of 
his  coming  to  the  West,  Dr.  MacMaster  has  been  in  the  habit, 
when  occasion  served,  of  visiting  this  city  and  preaching  the 
gospel  here,  always  a  most  welcome  guest  in  the  families  of 
his  acquaintance  ;  always  a  most  acceptable  preacher  to  our 
congregations  ;  often  meeting  us  and  our  people,  not  only  in  the 
social  circle  but  also  at  the  communion  table.  And  through 
these  many  \'ears  we  have  never  heard  the  first  whisper  of  a 
suggestion  that  this  intercourse  was  irksome  to  him,  as  one 
who  did  not  approve  of  slavery,  or  to  any  of  us  as  belonging 
to  a  slaveholding  people.  We  believe  that  his  opinions  and 
his  course  in  relation  to  slavery  have  never  been  once  thought 
of  as  offering  any  bar  to  the  most  agreeable  social  intercourse 
or  Christian  fellowship."  '^ 

The  writer  of  these  pages  was  in  pastoral  charge  of  one  of 
the  Presbyterian  churches  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  during  the  time 
Dr.  MacMaster  filled  the  chair  of  Systematic  Theology  in  the 
Seminary  at  New  Albany,  and  met  him  occasionally  at  his 
home  in  that  city,  and  also  had  him  to  preach  to  his  own  con- 
gregation in  Louisville.  From  his  own  personal  knowledge, 
the  writer  can  heartily  endorse  all  that  Drs.  Breckenridge  and 
Humphrey  have  said  in  their  testimonial  as  to  the  admirable 
personal  qualities  of  Dr.  MacMaster  as  a  man,  and  as  to 
his  eminent  abilities  as  a  preacher  and  a  theological  professor. 
In  the  two  positions  he  had  successively  held,  as  president  of 
Hanover  College  and  president  of  Miami  University,  he  had 
already  won  high  distinction  by  his  scholarly  culture,  his  elo- 
quent advocacy  of  the  cause  of  education,  his  exalted  patriot- 
ism and  his  fearless  philanthropy. 

But  his  work  at  New  Albany  was  probably  the  most 
successful  work  of  his  life.  If  a  man  is  to  be  judged  by  his 
useful  labor,  certainly  a  high  standard  of  excellence  must  be 
accorded  to  him  for  what  he  accomplished  in  the  chair  of 
theological  instruction  at  New  Albany  under  peculiar  diffi- 
culties. He  was  then  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  matured  powers, 
and  had  lost  nothing  of  the  enthusiasm  of  youth.  It  was  this 
period  of  earnest  and   congenial  work  in  the  Seminary — these 

♦Theological  Seminaries  in  the  West,  by  Drs.  Breckenridge  and  Humphrey,  p.  40. 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  5 1 

eight  years  of  well-rounded  and  finished  theological  instruction 
- — which  made  an  impression  on  the  successive  bands  of  young 
men  under  his  care,  never  to  be  erased,  and  at  the  same  time 
gave  him  a  reputation  throughout  the  Church,  as  one  of  the 
most  thorough  and  accomplished  theological  teachers. 

Probably  no  theological  instructor  in  our  whole  body  has 
ever  impressed  himself  more  deeply  and  more  favorably  on  his 
pupils  than  did  Dr.  MacMaster  during  those  eight  years.  The 
writer  has  known  many  of  these  pupils,  both  while  under  that 
instruction  and  in  their  subsequent  career,  and  has  often  heard 
from  their  own  lips  the  strong  words  of  admiration  and  rever- 
ence with  which  they  regarded  him.  His  work  was  a  grand 
success,  and  its  influence  on  the  lives  and  characters  of  his 
pupils  is  still  felt,  long  after  the  loved  teacher  has  gone  to  his 
rest.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  work  of  these  eight  years  that  so 
embalmed  the  memory  of  Dr.  MacMaster  in  the  heart  of  the 
Church. 

"As  a  preacher  and  a  theologian,"  says  a  recent  writer, 
''  Dr.  MacMaster  was  confessedly  one  of  the  foremost  men  of  our 
Church.  He  was  a  true  Christian  gentleman.  All  who  made 
his  acquaintance  were  deeply  impressed  with  the  dignity, 
solemnity  and  excellence  of  his  character,  and  with  the  uni- 
form kindness  of  his  deportment.  Among  his  most  prominent 
traits  were  profound  humility,  a  manly  independence  of 
thought  and  action  upon  questions  of  truth  and  duty,  decided 
convictions  upon  all  practical  questions,  and  an  inflexible  pur- 
pose to  do  what  was  right,  when  he  had  determined  what  that 
was."  * 

It  is  but  just  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  MacMaster  to  say 
that  the  pr^'udice  and  opposition  raised  against  him  at  differ- 
ent times  in  his  public  career  were  chiefly  due  to  his  fearless 
advocacy  and  defense  of  principles  which  he  held  to  be  essen- 
tial to  the  best  interests  of  the  Church  and  country.  Wher- 
ever he  beheld  wrong-doing,  whether  in  high  places  or  low,  he 
did  not  hesitate  to  expose  and  rebuke  it  with  all  his  might, 
cost  what  it  would.  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  one  of  his  suc- 
cessors in  the  presidency  of  Hanover  College,  gives  the  follow- 

*  Presbyterian  Encyclopedia,  p.  506. 


52  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

ing  careful,  and  no  doubt  just,  estimate  of  his  character  and 
services  : 

"  Dr.  MacMaster,  in  his  day,  was  active  in  several  contro- 
versies, each  of  which  was  more  or  less  embarrassing  and 
embittered.  He  boldly  denounced,  with  tongue  and  pen,  the 
repudiation  of  the  state  debt  of  Indiana,  and  drew  upon  him- 
self the  wrath  of  the  politicians  who  proposed  it.  He  advo- 
cated and  effected  (though  it  proved  to  be  but  for  a  season) 
the  removal  of  the  college  from  Hanover  and  its  re-charter  as 
a  university  at  Madison,  and  thus  alienated  from  himself  for 
years  the  friends  of  Hanover.  His  position  and  his  policy  in 
reference  to  the  question  of  slavery  engaged  him  in  many 
heated  arguments  and  personal  antagonisms  in  our  church 
courts.  He  is  therefore  peculiarly  liable  to  have  been  misun- 
derstood and  really  unknown.  It  is  but  simple  justice  to  say 
that  in  his  private  life  and  in  his  personal  traits  he  was  a 
model  character. 

*'  Of  a  peculiar  and  majestic  bearing,  being  six  feet  three 
inches  in  height,  with  a  keen  sense  of  propriety  and  preroga- 
tive,  he  was  open-handed  in  generosity,  abundant  in  sympathy 
and  conscientious  to  the  last  degree.  In  scholarship  he  was 
so  varied  and  so  ready  that  as  college  president  he  could  take 
the  place  of  any  absent  professor  and,  without  text-book,  hear 
a  recitation,  whether  in  conic  sections  or  the  Iliad.  In  his 
theology  so  Biblical,  in  his  preaching  so  earnest,  with  an 
exegesis  of  Scripture  so  lofty,  with  an  interpretation  always  on 
God's  side,  he  was  a  superior,  an  amiable  man.  His  piety, 
seemingly,  was  personal  knowledge  of  God.  As  he  said  at  the 
last,  '  I  die  in  God,  I  die  in  Christ,'  even  so  had  he  lived."  ^' 

It  would  probably,  have  been  the  united  testimony  of  all 
who  came  into  close  personal  acquaintance  with  Dr.  MacMas- 
ter at  New  Albany,  as  did  the  writer  of  these  pages,  that  he 
was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  gifted  men  of  his  genera- 
tion. He  worked  there  under  almost  overwhelming  discour- 
agements— the  excitements  of  the  country  and  the  apathy  of 
the  Church.  But  still  his  work  was  enough  to  show  what  he 
could  have  done,  and  would  willingly  have  done,  in  the  build- 

*  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Seminary,  1876. 


1840-1851.       REMOVAL  TO  NEW  ALBANY,  INDIANA.  53 

ing  up  of  a  great  theological  school  even  at  New  Albany,  had 
his  lot  been  cast  in  a  more  propitious  era,  and  his  self-denying 
efforts  been  sustained  by  the  whole-hearted  co-operation  of  a 
united  church. 

In  explanation  of  Dr.  Lindsley's  connection  with  the  Semi- 
nary it  should  be  stated  that,  prior  to  his  resignation  of  the 
presidency  of  Nashville  University,  he  had  been  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Ayers,  of  New  Albany,  the 
widow  of  Mr.  Elias  Ayers,  who  had  contributed  so  largely  to 
endow  the  Seminary  in  that  city.  As  she  was  possessed  of 
large  means,  and  Dr.  Lindsley  himself  was  a  gentleman  of 
ample  fortune,  his  services  in  the  Seminary,  during  the  time 
he  continued  as  professor,  were  always  rendered  without 
pecuniary  compensation,  being  cheerfully  given  as  a  contribu- 
tion to  the  institution.  He  was  inaugurated  in  January,  185 1, 
and  served  for  several  years  as  professor  in  the  Seminary.  At 
several  different  times,  owing  to  the  uncertain  condition  and 
prospects  of  the  institution,  he  tendered  his  resignation  to  the 
Board  of  Directors.  This  was  finally  accepted  in  1853,  t>ut  he 
did  not  cease  to  give  instruction  in  his  department.  Continu- 
ing to  reside  in  New  Albany,  and  feeling  an  abiding  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary,  he  volunteered  to  give  in- 
struction with  the  newly  elected  faculty  of  that  year,  and 
continued  thus  to  teach  until  shortly  before  his  death. 

Dr.  Lindsley  was  recognized  everywhere  as  '*  a  scholar,  and 
a  ripe  and  good  one."  By  his  urbanity,  his  dignity  and  his 
gentle  bearing,  in  all  the  walks  and  relationships  of  life,  he  in- 
variably won  the  approval  and  the  admiration  of  all  persons 
with  whom  he  became  associated.  In  the  judgment  of  his 
contemporaries  he  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  of  his  time, 
especially  in  the  great  cause  of  education,  to  which  his  life  was 
so  largely  devoted.  Probably  few  men  have  lived  in  any  age 
or  country  who  put  a  higher  estimate  on  the  office  of  instruc- 
tion, or  felt  a  heartier  enthusiasm  in  the  work  of  the  practical 
teacher.  During  the  forty  years  he  spent  in  this  v\^ork  at 
Princeton  and  Nashville,  before  coming  to  New  Albany,  he 
never  ceased  to  magnify  his  high  calling  as  an  instructor  of 
youth.     Throughout  the  whole  country,  at  the  East  and  the 


54  HISTORY  OF  MCCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

West,  he  gained  a  reputation  for  learning  and  eloquence,  and 
for  the  higher  collegiate  culture,  which  marked  him  as  one  of 
the  most  thorough  and  accomplished  educators  of  his  day. 
His  services  were  sought  in  succession  by  college  and  univer- 
sity boards,  far  and  near,  as  vacancies  occurred  in  the  presi- 
dency of  these  institutions.  Probably  no  one  man  in  all  our 
land  had  ever  been  so  often  elected  to  these  high  positions, 
and  so  urgently  solicited  to  accept  them.  So  wide  was  his 
reputation  in  this  respect  that  in  1834,  when  he  was  sent  as  a 
commissioner  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  then  meeting  in  Philadelphia,  he  was  nominated  for 
the  office  of  moderator  of  that  body,  and  was  unanimously 
elected  by  acclamation,  without  an  opposing  candidate. 

We  may  so  far  anticipate  the  history  here  as  to  say  that 
Dr.  Lindsley  died  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  May,  1855, 
while  in  attendance  on  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which  he  had  been  sent  as  a 
delegate  from  the  Presbytery  of  New  Albany.  He  was  in  the 
sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age."' 

*  Dr.  Lindsley's  Works,  with  the  Memorial  of  his  Life  and  Character,  edited  by  Prof. 
I,.  J.  Halsey,  were  published  in  iS66,  in  three  octavo  volumes,  by  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.,  of 
Philadelphia. 


REV.   PHILIP  LINDSLEY,   D.  D. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY. 
1852-1853. 


Effect  of  Locating  the  Danville  Seminary.  Results  Accomplished  at  New 
Albany.  The  Seminary  at  Allegheny,  Pa.  Movement  for  a  Seminary  at 
Cincinnati,  by  Dr.  Rice.  Not  Satisfied  with  New  Albany.  Proposed  Trans- 
fer to  the  General  Assembly.  Professors  at  New  Albany  Resign.  Action  of 
the  Seven  Synods  on  the  Question  of  a  New  Location.  Strong  Movement  in 
Kentucky  for  a  Seminary  at  Danville.  Memorial  of  the  New  Albany  Direc- 
tors and  Trustees.  No  Transfer  of  Location  Proposed  by  Them.  Only  a 
Transfer  of  Control.  The  Kentucky  Proposition  to  the  Assembly.  What  it 
Involved.  Action  of  the  Assembly.  Danville  Chosen  as  the  Place  for  a 
New  Seminary.  A  New  Faculty  and  New  Board  of  Directors  Elected. 
Danville  Seminary  Organized.  Professors  Inaugurated.  Successful  Open- 
ing. First  Years  of  its  History.  Disappointment  at  New  Albany.  Action 
of  its  Directors  and  Trustees.  Effect  on  the  Synods.  Indignant  Protest  of 
Dr.  MacMaster.  Resolution  of  the  Directors  to  Continue  the  Seminary  at 
New  Albany. 


The  whole  history  of  theological  education  in  the  North- 
west cannot  be  adequately  told  without  some  account  of  the 
establishment  of  a  theological  seminary  at  Danville,  Ky.,  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  1853.  F^^  ^o  single  event,  thus  far, 
had  exerted  so  decisive  an  influence  on  the  problem  of  a 
school  for  the  Northwestern  synods  as  the  organization  of  this 
new  seminary  in  the  heart  of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky.  It 
seemed  to  be,  and  in  fact  it  proved  to  be,  a  departure  from  the 
policy  of  union  and  co-operation  between  the  Northern  and 
Southern  synods,  which  had  hitherto  determined  that  the  loca- 
tion of  these  training  schools  for  our  ministry  should  be  along 
the  border  line  of  the  Ohio  River. 

It  is  true  that  the  old  policy  of  union  and  co-operation  had 

55 


56  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

not  up  to  this  time  been  crowned  with  entire  success.  It  had 
not  yet  given  the  Church  one  permanently  endowed  and 
flourishing  institution  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  where  the 
experiments  had  been  tried  for  more  than  twenty  years.  The 
Northern  synods,  whose  whole  drift  of  population  was  toward 
the  West  and  the  Northwest,  seemed  unwilling  to  cast  in  their 
lot  permanently  with  any  school  so  far  south  and  east  as  the 
older  settlements  along  the  Ohio  border;  while  the  youth 
from  the  Southern  synods  seemed  reluctant  to  come  so  far 
north,  and  join  hands  with  the  youth  across  the  river. 

Yet  it  should  be  stated,  as  an  important  fact,  that,  so 
far  as  pursued,  even  though  to  a  limited  extent,  the  policy  of 
friendly  intercourse  and  co-operation  in  a  seminary  open  alike 
to  students  from  each  section  of  the  country  had  worked  very 
satisfactorily,  both  at  Hanover  and  New  Albany.  Until  the 
death  of  Dr.  Matthews  in  1848,  and  indeed  down  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  new  seminary  at  Danville  in  1853,  there  was  an 
interchange  and  commingling  of  students  from  the  free  and 
the  slave  states,  producing  the  happiest  results.  The  annual 
catalogues  of  the  Seminary,  at  its  two  Ohio  River  locations, 
show  more  than  fifty  names  of  young  men — more  than  one- 
quarter  of  the  whole  number  matriculated — who  had  either 
come  to  the  Seminary  from  their  native  homes  in  the  South, 
or  who,  being  born  in  the  Northern  States,  had  gone,  after 
graduation,  to  the  South  as  their  chosen  field  of  labor. 

In  this  way,  the  Seminary,  all  through  its  career,  had  been 
very  successfully  illustrating  that  a  theological  school,  located 
at  some  convenient  point  along  the  dividing  line  between 
North  and  South,  might  be  a  place  of  amicable  and  profitable 
meeting  for  study,  and,  so  far  as  its  influence  extended, 
might  prove  in  the  end  a  bond  of  union  to  both  church  and 
country.  Many  good  and  true  men  of  the  time,  both  in  the 
North  and  South,  entertained  these  views.  They  thought  that 
in  the  training  of  the  ministry  the  true  policy  was  one  minis- 
try for  the  whole  Church,  and  one  church  for  the  whole  coun- 
try. Such  was  the  sentiment  of  the  founders  of  this  Seminary, 
when  they  placed  it  so  near  the  border;  and  it  is  perfectly 
obvious  that  its  whole  history  and  influence,  so  long  as  it  con- 


1852-1853.  A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY.  57 

tinued  there,  were  in  the  Hne  of  that  early  policy  of  union  and 
brotherhood. 

It  is  significant  to  notice  that  in  the  first  class — a  class  of 
nine — which  entered  at  New  Albany  in  1840,  were  two  sons  of 
Dr.  Crowe  from  Hanover,  Ind.,  two  young  men  from  Missouri, 
one  from  Ohio,  one  from  Pennsylvania,  one  from  Illinois — 
Samuel  Hart,  one  from  New  Jersey — Sam.uel  J.  Baird, 
and  one  from  Tennessee — James  M.  Priest,  the  last  named  a 
colored  man,  who,  after  finishing  his  theological  course,  was 
sent  as  a  missionary  to  Liberia,  in  Africa,  where  he  spent  a 
long  and  useful  life,  and  whence,  so  recently  as  1879,  ^^'^^Y  ^  ^^^^ 
years  before  his  death,  he  made  a  substantial  donation  to  the 
Seminary  on  the  occasion  of  its  semi-centennial  anniversary. 

For  four  or  five  years  succeeding  the  death  of  Dr.  Matthews 
in  1848,  no  little  discussion  occurred,  and  also  some  conflict 
of  opinion,  among  the  friends  of  the  Seminary,  as  to  what  was 
best  to  be  done  with  it.  There  was  not  entire  satisfaction 
with  its  success  at  New  Albany.  Efforts  had  been  made  to 
induce  all  the  Western  synods  to  unite  in  its  support.  These 
were  so  far  successful  that  seven  synods,  including  Kentucky, 
Tennessee  and  Missouri,  had  appointed  directors,  and  recom- 
mended the  institution  to  the  liberality  of  their  churches.  As 
early  as  the  convention  of  1838,  which  fixed  the  location  at 
New  Albany,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  had  agreed  to  appoint 
directors  and  give  its  influence  to  the  Seminary,  on  condition 
that  it  should  appoint  and  support  its  own  professor. 

But,  after  an  experiment  at  New  Albany  of  eight  or  ten 
years,  neither  funds  nor  students  had  come  to  it  sufficient  to 
give  anything  like  an  adequate  endowment  or  a  marked 
success.  In  this  condition  of  uncertainty,  about  the  end  of  this 
time,  a  movement  was  made  to  unite  the  seminaries  of  Alle- 
gheny and  New  Albany,  the  former  as  well  as  the  latter  being 
much  straitened  for  funds.  But  this  was  found  -impracticable. 
The  next  movement  was  to  place  the  Seminary  for  the  West 
under  the  control  of  the  General  Assembly;  and  this,  as  Dr. 
N.  L.  Rice  tells  us,  *'was  decidedly  favored  by  many  of  the 
most  influential  ministers  in  the  synods  of  Cincinnati,  Indiana 
and  Northern  Indiana."  ^ 

*  Presbyterian  Expositor  for  May,  1859. 


58  ■  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

About  this  time  a  movement  was  made  at  Cincinnati  to 
found  a  seminary  under  the  lead  of  Dr.  Rice  himself,  subject 
to  the  control  of  the  General  Assembly.  Dr.  Rice  had  been 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  a  church  in  Cincinnati  in  1844,  and 
he  had  come  with  a  great  reputation,  both  as  a  logician  and  as  a 
theologian,  justly  won  in  his  public  debate  with  Alexander 
Campbell  on  the  subject  of  baptism,  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  a 
year  or  two  earlier.  He  had  never  been  satisfied  with  the 
location  of  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany.  He  had,  in  fact, 
strenuously  opposed  it  in  the  convention  of  1838,  being  present 
in  that  body  as  a  delegate  from  the  Synod  of  Kentucky.  He 
contended  that  a  theological  seminary  ought  to  be  either  in  a 
town  of  small  size  or  in  a  large  city ;  that  New  Albany  had 
the  advantages  of  neither  and  the  disadvantages  of  both. 

Lane  Seminary  at  Cincinnati  was  no  longer  a  seminary  of 
the  Old  School  branch  of  the  Church,  and  therefore  the  Ohio 
churches  were  induced  to  look  with  some  favor  on  this  new 
movement  to  supply  the  deficiency.  Accordingly  a  seminary 
was  opened  at  Cincinnati  in  the  year  185 1,  with  two  professors, 
the  venerable  Dr.  James  Hoge,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Dr. 
Nathan  L.  Rice,  of  Cincinnati.  Subsequently,  Dr.  Willis 
Lord,  then  of  Cincinnati,  became  one  of  its  professors, 
and  Rev.  James  C.  Moffat,  afterwards  of  Princeton,  N.  J., 
served  in  the  same  capacity  for  one  year.  The  Cincinnati 
undertaking  was  voluntarily  abandoned  when  the  General 
Assembly  had  organized  the  seminary  at  Danville.  In  the 
"Expositor"  of  1859  Dr.  Rice  says:  ''Repeated  attempts 
have  been  made  to  heap  odium  upon  us  as  the  responsible 
author  of  this  movement,  but  the  names  of  those  known  to 
have  actively  promoted  it  are  sufficient  to  satisfy  every  one 
that  the  credit  does  not  belong  to  us,  more  than  to  leading 
men  in  all  the  Western  synods." 

It  became  evident  from  these  conflicting  movements  on  the 
part  of  prominent  men  in  the  synods  north  of  the  Ohio,  as 
well  as  from  want  of  cordial  co-operation  in  the  Southern 
synods,  that  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany  must  soon  prov^e  a 
failure  unless  placed  on  a  different  basis.  Accordingly,  in  the 
autumn  of  1852,  its  friends  felt  constrained  to  take  measures  for 


1852-1853.        A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY.  59 

its  transfer  to  the  General  Assembly.  The  question  was  raised 
in  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati,  which  met  before  the  other  synods, 
whether  the  institution  should  be  given  to  the  Assembly  with 
the  chairs  vacant  that  that  body  might  elect  professors.  An 
amendment  so  providing,  after  earnest  discussion,  was  incor- 
porated in  the  paper  prepared  by  the  Board,  which  was 
adopted  by  the  other  synods. 

In  view  of  this  action  on  the  part  of  the  several  synods, 
and  out  of  courtesy  to  the  General  Assembly,  to  whose  super- 
vising control  the  Board  of  Directors  had  resolved  to  offer  to 
transfer  the  Seminary,  the  three  professors  at  New  Albany, 
Drs.  MacMaster,  Stewart  and  Lindsley,  in  1853,  resigned  their 
professorships.  .The  classes  under  their  instruction  had  been 
well  taught,  and  there  was  no  considerable  diminution  of  stu- 
dents, except  in  the  last  year.  There  was  then,  however,  as 
might  have  been  expected  on  account  of  these  divergent  views 
and  movements  in  the  Church,  some  decline  of  the  numbers  in 
attendance.  At  the  time  the  offer  to  transfer  control  was 
made  to  the  Assembly,  the  whole  property  belonging  to  the 
Seminary  was  valued  at  fifty-four  thousand  dollars. 

In  the  meantime  there  had  been  a  growing  feeling  among 
prominent  members  of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  that  the  time 
had  come  for  the  General  Assembly  to  take  in  hand  the  found- 
ing of  one  great  seminary  for  the  whole  Western  Church,  and 
that  the  best  location  for  it  would  be  in  that  central  state. 
The  Presbyterians  of  Kentucky  had  early  contemplated  a 
theological  department  in  connection  with  their  college  at 
Danville.  The  charter  of  that  institution,  amended  in  1824, 
made  special  provision  for  such  a  department,  authorizing  its 
trustees  to  secure  funds  to  be  applied  exclusively  to  the  pur- 
pose of  maintaining  one  or  more  professors  of  theology  sepa- 
rate and  distinct  from  the  college. 

As  early  as  1828  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  resolved  to  carry 
out  this  provision,  and  the  next  year  overtured  the  General 
Assembly  on  the  subject  in  the  following  terms: 

"The  Synod  of  Kentucky,  having  at  their  last  session 
established  a  theological  seminary  under  the  charter  of  Centre 
College  at  Danville,  do  request  to  be  taken  into  union  with  the 


6o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

General  Assembly  and  under  its  care,  on  the  terms  specified  in 
the  general  principles  laid  down  by  the  said  synod,  for  which 
the  General  Assembly  is  referred  to  their  records,  pages  50  to 
58."  The  General  Assembly  received  the  overture  favorably, 
and  approved  the  plan  of  the  seminary,  but  recommended 
a  delay  until  the  next  year.  Before  its  next  meeting  the 
seminary  at  Hanover,  Ind.,  had  been  opened  under  Dr.  John 
Matthews,  and  the  matter  of  a  similar  institution  at  Danville 
seems  to  have  been  given  up  for  that  time  without  further 
action."* 

Still,  however,  the  Kentucky  ministers  and  churches  felt 
deeply  interested  in  theological  education,  and  the  work  of 
endowing  a  theological  professorship  was  not  abandoned. 
During  the  years  1847  ^^^  1848  a  fund,  amounting  to  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  was  raised,  to  be  held  as  the  theological  fund 
of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  its  income  to  be  appropriated  to 
the  support  of  a  professor  in  the  New  Albany  Seminary,  to  be 
appointed  by  the  said  synod.  This  sum  it  was  now  proposed 
to  offer  for  the  support  of  a  seminary  to  be  founded  by  the 
General  Assembly,  which  sum  was  to  be  increased  to  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars  in  case  the  General  Assembly  should 
establish  the  seminary  at  Danville. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1853,  which 
was  held  in  Philadelphia,  a  number  of  important  documents 
came  before  that  body  in  relation  to  the  transfer  of  the  New 
Albany  Seminary  to  the  care  of  the  Assembly,  and  to  the 
wider  question  of  One  seminary  for  all  the  Western  synods. 
There  was  first  a  memorial  from  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
New  Albany  Seminary,  and  also  a  report  setting  forth  the 
action  of  its  Board  of  Trustees,  each  agreeing  fully  to  the  pro- 
posed transfer  to  Assembly  control,  but  contemplating  no 
removal  of  the  Seminary  from  New  Albany,  There  were  next 
reports  from  each  of  the  seven  synods  thus  far  having  control, 
each  agreeing  to  the  matter  of  a  transfer  to  the  General 
Assembly,  but  only  two  of  them  suggesting  any  change  of 
location,  namely,  Nashville  and  Missouri,  in  whose  reports 
St.  Louis  was  named  as  the  best  place  for  one  great  Western 

*Dr.  Van  Rensselaer's  Presbyterian  Magazine  for  May,  1S54. 


1852-1853.        A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY.  61 

seminary.  There  was  also  a  brief  report  from  the  directors  of 
the  new  seminary  at  Cincinnati,  placing  the  whole  matter  of 
that  seminary  in  the  hands  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  following  extract  from  the  memorial  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  at  New  Albany  above  referred  to  will  serve  to  show 
the  spirit  and  intention  with  which  this  offer  was  made  to  the 
Assembly.  After  naming  the  seven  synods  thus  far  controlling 
the  Seminary,  viz.  :  Cincinnati,  Indiana,  Northern  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Missouri,  Kentucky  and  Nashville,  and  reciting  their 
recent  action  in  favor  of  this  transfer  to  the  Assembly,  the 
memorial  goes  on  to  say  : 

"  The  directors,  in  obedience  to  the  wishes  of  all  the  synods 
concerned,  do  hereby  tender  to  the  General  Assembly  all  the 
right  of  property  in,  and  control  over,  the  Seminary  and  its 
funds,  which  are  now  vested  in  the  synods  aforesaid  ;  and  the 
directors  respectfully  request  the  Assembly,  at  its  present  ses- 
sions, to  establish  a  Plan,  or  Constitution  of  the  Seminary, 
which  shall  be  adjusted  to  its  new  relations,  appoint  directors 
and  professors,  complete  its  endowment,  and  do  whatever  else 
is  needful,  in  order  to  give  effect  to  the  wishes  of  the  synods. 

*'  For  the  purpose  of  affording  to  the  Assembly  the  oppor- 
tunity of  appointing  whom  they  may  prefer  to  the  professor- 
ships, the  directors  state  that  the  present  professors  of  the 
Seminary,  acting  upon  their  own  sense  of  what  is  proper  in 
the  case,  have  several  months  since  resigned  their  professor- 
ships and  the  directors,  having  expressed  their  high  sense 
of  the  qualifications  and  fidelity  of  these  brethren,  have 
accepted  their  resignations,  in  the  event  of  the  proposed 
transfer  being  consummated  by  the  action  of  the  Assembly  ; 
and  when  the  Assembly  shall  appoint  its  Board  of  Directors 
the  present  Board  will  consider  itself  dissolved.  And  still 
further,  this  Board  have,  by  resolution,  requested  the  Board  of 
Trustees  to  transfer  the  funds  of  the  Seminary  to  the  new  Board 
of  Trustees  which  may  be  created,  in  conformity  with  the 
action  of  the  various  synods  concerned. 

"  But  the  Board  desire  it  to  be  understood  by  the  Assembly 
that  the  proposed  transfer  is  made  upon  condition  that  the 
Seminary  be  retained  at  its  present  location  in  New  Albany, 


62  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

and  that  it  be  accepted  by  this  Assembly."     Adopted  April 

^7,  1853- 

Besides  the  foregoing,  there  were  two  other  important 
papers  before  the  General  Assembly,  strongly  urging  that  body 
to  locate  and  organize  a  new  seminary  of  the  first-class  for  the 
whole  Western  Church.  The  first  contained  a  series  of  resolu- 
tions adopted  in  Philadelphia,  during  the  session  of  the 
Assembly,  by  commissioners  and  others  from  eleven  synods  in 
the  West  and  Southwest,  met  in  convention  in  that  city.  The 
second  was  a  written  proposition,  in  the  form  of  an  overture 
concerning  the  endowment  of  the  new  seminary,  signed  by  all 
the  commissioners  in  the  Assembly  from  the  bounds  of  the 
Synod  of  Kentucky.      The  latter  paper  was  in  these  words  :  "^ 

"  Overture  from  Commissioners  to  the  General  Assembly 
from  Presbyteries  in  the  Synod  of  Kentucky.  Philadelphia, 
May  23,  1853. 

Certain  members  of  the  present  General  Assembly,  being 
commissioners  to  it  from  presbyteries  belonging  to  the  Synod 
of  Kentucky,  desire  to  make  the  following  statement  to  the 
General  Assembly : 

I.  If  the  General  Assembly  will  see  fit  to  establish  a  theo- 
logical seminary  in  the  West,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of 
seven  synods,  now  officially  laid  before  the  Assembly,  and  will 
pledge  itself,  with  God's  blessing,  to  make  a  seminary  of  the 
first-class,  the  Synod  and  people  of  Kentucky  will  contribute 
$20,000  towards  the  endowment  of  one  of  the  chairs  in  said 
seminary  —  let  it  be  located  where  it  may  —  upon  condition 
that  three  other  chairs  are  endowed  with  a  like  sum. 

II.  If  the  Assembly  will  see  fit  ,to  locate  and  sustain  said 
seminary  at,  or  near,  the  town  of  Danville,  in  the  State  of 
Kentucky,  the  synod  and  people  of  that  state  will  give  towards 
the  support  of  the  said  seminary:  ist,  $60,000  towards  the  en- 
dowment of  three  chairs  in  said  seminary  ;  2nd,  ten  or  more 
acres  of  land  in,  or  near  Danville,  as  a  site  for  said  seminary  ; 
3rd,  the  perpetual  and  free  use  of  two  charters,  one  held  by 
the  Trustees  of  Centre  College,  Kentucky,  and  the  other  by 
the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  by  means  of  which  the  seminary  may 

*  See  Minutes  of  General  Assembly  of  1853,  pp.  627.  628. 


1852-1853.        A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY.  63 

be  established  and  its  funds  held  ;  4th,  the  most  earnest  co- 
operation in  doing  whatsoever  else  is  or  may  be  needful 
towards  the  full  endowment  and  permanent  establishment  of 
said  seminary. 

John  C.  Young,  F.  W.  Urey, 

W.  L.  Breckenridge,  W.  C.  Matthews, 

Louis  Marshall,  Thos.  J.  Montgomery, 

J.  Wood  Wilson,  John  A.  Lyle, 

Samuel  Casseday,  James  Matthews, 

F.  Senour,  R.  J.  Breckenridge.  ""^ 

This  paper,  signed  by  a  dozen  of  the  leading  ministers  and 
ruling  elders  of  the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  including  the  modera- 
tor of  the  Assembly,  Dr.  Young,  carried  great  weight,  and  un- 
questionably had  much  to  do  in  shaping  the  final  decision  of 
the  body. 

The  standing  committee  of  the  Assembly  on  theological 
seminaries,  whose  chairman  was  Dr.  R.  J.  Breckenridge, 
to  which  all  these  documents  had  been  referred,  reported  to 
the  Assembly  recommending  for  adoption  the  following  reso- 
lutions: 

''  1st.  That  the  Assembly  will  now  decide,  by  a  majority  of 
votes  of  its  members,  at  what  point  in  the  West  a  new  theo- 
logical seminary  shall  be  established  by  it. 

2nd.  That  it  will,  by  God's  help,  establish  at  a  point  to  be 
thus  designated,  and  with  the  least  possible  delay,  a  new  theo- 
logical seminary  of  the  first  class. 

3rd.  That  the  committee^  on  seminaries  is  charged  with 
the  duty  of  laying  before  this  Assembly  in  the  meantime,  and 
with  the  least  practicable  delay,  a  plan  for  the  endowment  of 
said  seminary,  and  for  raising  the  funds  necessary  for  setting  it 
up  and  sustaining  it. 

4th.  That  the  said  committee  is  charged  with  the  further 
duty  of  laying  before  the  Assembly  a  plan  for  the  organization 
of  the  seminary  itself,  as  to  professors,  directors,  trustees, 
students  and  course  of  studies." 

The  resolutions  were  all  adopted. 

When  the  first  resolution  had  been  adopted  the  choice  of 

*  Minutes  of  General  Assembly  of  1853,  p.  631. 


64  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

the  place  was  next  in  order.  New  Albany,  St.  Louis,  Dan- 
ville, Nashv^ille,  Cincinnati  and  Peoria  were  put  in  nomination. 
After  extended  discussion  on  the  question  of  location,  Peoria, 
Nashville  and  Cincinnati  were  withdrawn  from  nomination, 
and  the  Assembly  proceeded  to  take  the  vote  on  the  other 
three  places.  The  roll  was  called,  and  the  vote  resulted  in 
thirty-three  for  New  Albany,  seventy-eight  for  St.  Louis,  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  for  Danville. 

Being  thus  chosen  on  the  first  count,  by  a  majority  of  all 
the  votes  cast,  Danville  was  declared  to  be  duly  appointed  as 
the  location  of  the  new  seminary.  On  motion  the  moderator 
led  the  Assembly  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  harmony  of 
feeling  with  which  the  result  was  reached,  and  in  supplication 
for  the  divine  blessing  on  the  seminary. 

On  motion  it  was  "  Resolved,  that  the  new  seminary  shall 
be  called  The  Danville  Theological  Seminary,  under  the  care 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America.  Its  first  session  shall  be  opened 
at  Danville  on  the  13th  day  of  October,  1853,  under  the  care  of 
the  professors  to  be  elected  by  the  present  General  Assembly, 
or  as  many  of  them  as  may  accept  the  chairs  tendered  to 
them." 

Before  its  adjournment  the  Assembly  elected  a  Board  of 
Directors  for  the  new  seminary,  and  also  a  full  faculty  of 
instruction.  All  necessary  arrangements  were  made,  and  com- 
mittees appointed,  to  inaugurate  the  institution  on  a  perma- 
nent basis  at  the  time  designated- 

Rev.  Robert  J.  Breckenridge,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  was  elected 
professor  of  Exegetic,  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology; 

Rev.  Edward  P.  Humphrey,  D.D.,  professor  of  Biblical  and 
Ecclesiastical  History  ; 

Rev.  Benjamin  M.  Palmer,  D.D.,  professor  of  Oriental  and 
Biblical  Literature  ; 

Rev.  Phineas  D.  Gurley,  D.D.,  professor  of  Pastoral  Theol- 
ogy, Church  Government,  and  Composition  and  Delivery  of 
Sermons. 

Drs.  Palmer  and  Gurley  declined  their  appointment.  The 
other  two   professors,  Drs.    Breckenridge   and    Humphrey,  ac- 


1852-1853.       A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY.  65 

cepted,  and  were  duly  inaugurated  at  Danville,  October  13th, 
1853.  An  assistant  teacher  of  Hebrew,  Rev.  J.  G.  Reasor, 
was  employed  by  the  Board  for  the  session.  The  Seminary 
was  thus  opened  with  encouraging  prospects,  the  two  profes- 
sors dividing  the  course  of  studies  between  themselves  and 
their  assistant  for  the  first  year. 

Beginning  under  such  auspicious  circumstances,  with  the 
high  endorsement  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  with  an  able, 
though  small  faculty,  the  seminary  at  Danville  was  for  the  first 
eight  years  very  prosperous.  Its  endowment  was  increased, 
and  the  number  of  students  in  attendance  from  year  to  year 
was  much  larger  than  had  been  the  case  at  Hanover  or  New 
Albany.  There  were  twenty-four  young  men  in  attendance 
the  first  session,  and  the  number  continued  to  increase  until 
1862,  when  it  was  greatly  reduced  in  consequence  of  the  civil 
war,  and  the  disruption  of  the  Church.  During  the  intervening 
eight  years  the  highest  number  attending  in  any  one  year  was 
fifty-three.  The  average  attendance  for  those  eight  years  was 
forty-one,  and  the  average  of  matriculants  nineteen.  In  1862 
the  number  in  attendance  fell  to  eleven,  and  in  1863  to  eight.* 

The  number  of  instructors  during  these  earlier,  prosperous 
years  was  increased  by  the  election  of  Rev.  Stuart  Robinson, 
D.D.,  to  the  chair  of  Pastoral  Theology  and  Church  Govern- 
ment, and  of  Rev.  Stephen  Yerkes,  D.D.,  to  that  of  Biblical 
and  Oriental  Literature.  There  can  be  no  question  that  the 
new  seminary  gave  a  fresh  impulse  to  ministerial  education  in 
the  Synod  of  Kentucky,  and  in  other  synods  at  the  West 
and  South.  It  had  an  able  faculty,  and  trained  many  success- 
ful ministers.  It  had  rendered,  and  was  rendering,  good 
service  to  the  Church  at  the  West  and  Southwest,  when  its 
usefulness  was  so  sadly  interrupted  by  the  political  and  eccle- 
siastical conflicts  of  the  times. 

The  immediate  effect  of  the  Danville  movement  was 
unquestionably  to  injure  all  the  prospects  of  the  New  Albany 
Seminary  by  at  once  narrowing  its  field,  cutting  off  its  support 
and  closing  its  doors  in  so  far  as  Southern  students  were  con- 
cerned.    It  had  the  effect  of  drawing  a  new  line  of  separation, 

*  See  Annual  Reports  in  Minutes  of  General  Assembly. 


^  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

that  had  never  existed  before.  As  a  matter  of  course,  the 
three  synods  of  the  slave  states,  Kentucky,  Missouri  and  Ten- 
nessee, thus  far  confederated  in  its  control,  drew  off  in  large 
part,  and  left  the  Seminary  to  the  care  of  the  four  synods 
north  of  the  Ohio. 

Dr.  MacMaster,  in  his  speech  before  the  General  Assembly 
of  1859,  ^^^^^  expressed  the  exact  posture  of  things  at  this 
particular  crisis  of  the  Seminary's  history,  caused  by  the  Dan- 
ville movement  of  1853. 

"  The  synods  in  the  free  states,  thus  abandoned  by  the 
synods  in  the  slave  states,  whose  union  with  them  they  had 
importunately  sought  and  always  desired,  had  nothing  left  to 
them  but  to  continue,  as  they  best  could,  their  Seminary, 
greatly  damaged,  first  by  the  indifference  toward  it,  and  then 
by  the  abandonment  of  it  by  the  synods  in  the  slave  states. 
Those  who  cared  enough  about  the  matter  to  occupy  their 
thoughts  with  it  soon  perceived  that  the  ends  for  which  the 
Seminary  was  established  could  be  in  any  adequate  manner 
attained  only  by  uniting  upon  it  all  the  synods  of  the  Nc^th- 
west,  or  at  least  a  majority  of  them.  It  was  in  the  expecta- 
tion of  such  a  union  that  the  Seminary  was  continued  at  New 
Albany.  But  to  anticipate  a  movement  for  this  end  before 
the  time  would  have  been  fatal.  Nothing  was  left  to  the 
Seminary  but  to  put  down  its  anchors  where  it  was,  and  await 
the  development  of  events  and  the  indications  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence." 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary  in 
their  first  report  after  the  organization  of  the  seminary  at  Dan- 
ville, made  to  the  seven  synods,  under  date  of  June  16,  1853, 
expressed  very  clearly  what  had  been  the  old  policy  of  union 
between  North  and  South,  as  contrasted  with  this  new  policy  of 
separation  inaugurated  by  the  Danville  movement.  They  said: 
"  On  one  aspect  of  this  subject  as  it  now  exists,  to  prevent  mis- 
apprehension, the  directors  deem  it  incumbent  on  them  to  make 
an  explicit  declaration.  From  the  beginning  we  have  earnestly 
desired  the  establishment  on  the  Ohio  River  of  a  school  for  the 
professional  training  of  our  candidates  for  the  ministry,  in  the 
support  and  control  of  which  the  churches  in  the  slave-holding 


1852-1853.        A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY.  6/ 

states  and  the  free  might  be  united.  It  has  been  our  desire 
that  this  should  be  done  oh  the  one  hand  without  unworthy 
compromise  of  principle  in  favor  of  slavery,  while  on  the  other 
hand  there  should  be  found  the  discrimination  which  truth  and 
justice  require  us  to  make  between  the  system  and  those  who 
are  unwillingly  connected  with  it  and  seek  by  feasible  means 
its  termination."^ 

In  reference  to  the  apparent  failure  of  the  institution  thus 
far  to  accomplish  its  great  purposes,  the  directors  said  :  "  It  is 
true  that  the  Seminary  has  from  the  beginning  labored  under 
embarrassments  such  as  are  almost  universally  incident  to 
enterprises  of  a  like  character  in  a  new  country,  and  that  it 
has  not  been  able  to  accomplish  as  much  as  was  desired  and 
hoped.  Nevertheless,  with  the  limited  means  placed  at  its 
disposal,  and  with  all  the  disadvantages  under  which  it  has 
labored,  it  has  furnished  the  means  of  their  professional  educa- 
tion to  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  candidates  for  the  ministry, 
nearly  all  of  whom  are  now  engaged,  with  much  usefulness  and 
acceptance,  in  the  work  of  their  Master,  some  in  heathen  lands 
and  some  in  frontier  and  destitute  portions  of  our  own  country." 

Further  on  in  their  report,  the  directors  expressed  their  views 
and  feelings  in  regard  to  being  thus  cut  off  from  co-operation 
Avith  the  Southern  churches  and  from  their  long-cherished 
policy  of  a  union  seminary,  by  the  creation  of  a  new  semi- 
nary at  Danville. 

'*  We  deeply  regret  to  have  observed  that  it  was  expressly 
urged  in  the  late  General  Assembly,  with  reference  to  the 
question  of  slavery,  in  the  argument  for  establishing  a  new 
seminary,  that  it  must  be  placed  within  the  slaveholding  states. 
It  may  be  that,  by  pressing  this  consideration  and  founding  a 
new  seminary,  having  by  its  location  and  organization  essen- 
tially a  sectional  and  local  character,  the  churches  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Ohio  will  find  forced  upon  them,  contrary  to  their 
own  desire,  the  necessity  of  building  up,  without  the  co-opera- 
tion of  their  Southern  brethren,  a  seminary  for  these  great  and 
free  states  of  the  Northwest,  destined  to  be  one  of  the  most 
populous  and  important  regions  of  the  whole  country.     What 

*  Report  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary,  1853, 


68  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

the  directors  wish  now  to  say  is  that  we  deeply  regret  the 
introduction  of  this  argument,  and  the  action  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  seminary  based  upon  such  argument,  both  strongly 
tendincr  to  divisive  courses  and  unblest  issues ;  that  for  these 
things  we  are  not  responsible,  and  that  we  are  well  assured 
that  the  churches  of  the  free  states  will  not  be  driven  from 
the  iust  and  conservative  ground  upon  which,  in  relation  to 
this  subject,  they  have  so  long  stood,  but  will  continue  to 
cherish  the  hope  of  union  and  co-operation  with  their  brethren 
of  the  South  in  providing  a  well  qualified  ministry  for  the 
whole  Church."  * 

At  the  time  of  these  occurrences  the  writer  of  this  history 
was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  New  Albany 
Seminary,  and  had  been  urged  about  that  time  to  become  one 
of  its  professors.  He  felt  a  deep  interest  in  its  welfare,  and 
remembers  the  feelings  of  sadness  and  disappointment  experi- 
enced by  its  old  friends  and  supporters  on  the  unexpected 
turn  of  events  which  created  the  new  seminary  at  Danville. 
It  was  natural  that  the  New  Albany  directors  and  professors 
should  feel  much  aggrieved  by  the  action  of  the  Assembly, 
and  express  themselves  strongly  in  the  matter.  For  neither 
the  professors  nor  the  two  Seminary  Boards  of  directors  and 
trustees,  in  proposing  that  the  General  Assembly,  instead  of 
the  synods,  should  have  the  control  of  the  Seminary,  had  ever  for 
one  moment  proposed  or  agreed  that  the  General  Assembly 
should  move  the  institution  from  New  Albany  or  create  a  new- 
one  elsewhere.  This  they  felt  prepluded  from  doing  by  their 
virtual  contract  with  Mr.  Elias  Ayers  in  receiving  his  large 
donation,  which  had  been  conditioned  on  the  Seminary's  being 
located  and  fixed  at  New  Albany.  It  is  not  surprising,  there- 
fore, that  the  old  friends  and  supporters  of  the  institution, 
who  had  given  to  it  their  labors,  their  prayers  and  their  sub- 
stance for  a  period  of  twenty-two  years — ^^ten  at  Hanover  and 
twelve  at  New  Albany — should  feel  deep  disappointment  and 
sorrow  when  they  saw  their  hopes  defeated  and  their  loved 
Seminary  virtually  extinguished  by  this  unexpected  action  of 
the  General  Assembly. 

*  Pamphlet  Report  of  the  Directors  of  New  Albany  Seminary,  1853. 


1852-1853.        A  NEW  SEMINARY  AT  DANVILLE,  KY.  69 

The  report  from  which  these  extracts  are  taken  concludes 
with  the  following  declaration  of  the  purpose  of  the  direc- 
tory to  continue  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany:  "The  Board 
of  Directors,  after  a  careful,  patient  and  earnest  consideration 
of  the  whole  subject,  have  come  to  the  deliberate  and  unani- 
mous conclusion  that  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  calls  us  to 
sustain  and  perpetuate  this  Seminary,  and  may  we  not  appeal 
to  our  brethren,  for  the  work's  sake  and  the  Master's  sake,  to 
unite  in  accomplishing  this  great  service  for  His  glory  and  the 
good  of  His  Church?" 

This  decision  of  the  Seminary  authorities  at  New  Albany 
to  go  forward  with  their  cherished  institution,  seemingly  in  the 
face  of  what  the  General  Assembly  had  done  in  establishing 
the  Danville  school,  led  to  some  adverse  criticism  in  the  public 
prints,  in  which  this  course  was  condemned  as  being  irregular 
and  schismatical  on  the  part  of  the  New  Albany  men.  These 
strictures  were  answered  by  both  Dr.  Thomas  and  Dr.  Mac- 
Master.  In  September,  1853,  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Seminary  published  in  pamphlet  form  "  A  Defence  Against 
the  Late  Assaults  upon  the  New  Albany  Seminary."  It  was 
written  by  Dr.  MacMaster,  and  contained  a  full  statement  of 
all  the  essential  facts  in  the  case  and  a  vindication  of  the 
Seminary  against  the  charges  alleged.  He  felt  that  the 
assaults  against  the  old  Seminary  were  unjust  and  injurious, 
and  he  repelled  them  in  terms  of  severity  and  indignation.  In 
replying  to  these  charges  he  said  :  "  The  attempt  to  shift  the 
odium  of  this  separation  upon  the  New  Albany  directors  and 
their  friends  is  unworthy  a  fair  and  honorable  opponent.  It 
cannot  be  done.  No ;  it  is  written  in  a  book,  graven  with  an 
iron  pen  in  the  rock  forever,  and  no  power  can  change  the  fact 
that  upon  the  projectors  and  advocates  of  the  Danville  Semi- 
nary rests  the  responsibility  of  this  schismatic  course.  It  is 
they  who  have  hunted  up  and  set  this  wedge  of  division.  We 
shall  see  whether  they  will  drive  it.  We  are  well  persuaded 
that  the  friends  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary  will  have  no 
part  in  this  evil  work."  " 

♦Pamphlet  Defence  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary,  1853,  p.  26,  and  Dr.  MacMaster's 
Speech  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1859,  p.  15. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   SEMINARY   QUESTION    REOPENED. 

1854-1856. 


The  Location  at  Danville  not  Satisfactory  to  the  Northwest.  Reversal  of 
Policy.  What  was  to  be  Done  at  New  Albany.  The  Whole  Problem 
Reopened.  A  Protest.  Dr.  Rice's  Position.  Four  Synods  North  of  the 
Ohio.  Friends  of  New  Albany  not  Satisfied.  Two  Seminaries  too  near 
Together.  .Dr.  Wood's  Opinion.  The  New  Albany  Professors  Reappointed. 
Efforts  to  Sustain  the  New  Albany  Seminary.  Action  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  1854,  The  Seminary  at  New  Albany  Reopened,  its  Career 
Under  Difficulties.  Partial  Success.  Too  far  from  its  Proper  Field.  A 
Removal  Farther  to  the  Northwest  Necessary.  Reasons  for  Chicago  as  the 
Location.  Circular  Address  from  Professors  and  Others.  Chicago  Indicated 
as  the  Proper  Place.  Hearty  Agreement  of  all  the  Northwestern  Synods  on 
Chicago.  Synodical  Constitution,  Meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at 
Chicago.  Faculty  Chosen.  Trustees  Elected.  Legal  Charter.  Students 
Educated  at  New  Albany.  Members  of  the  Synodical  Board.  Work  of  the 
Two  Professors.  Their  Relations  to  the  Seminary.  Brief  Memorial  on  the 
Life  and  Services  of  Dr.  Thomas. 


The  organization  of  a  new  seminary  at  Danville  was  far 
from  being  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the  problem  which  had  so 
long  engaged  the  prayerful  thought  of  the  synods  in  the 
Northwest.  It  was  well  enough  for  Kentucky  and  the  South- 
west. But  it  completely  reversed  the  fundamental  principle 
on  which  the  Church  north  of  the  Ohio  had  been  acting  for 
more  than  twenty  years  —  of  having  a  theological  school 
within  their  own  borders.  For  this  they  had  been  praying  and 
toiling  and  making  no  small  sacrifice.  All  at  once  the  coveted 
boon  seemed  taken  from  them.  A  seminary  some  hundred 
miles  south  of  the  Ohio  River  could  no  more  meet  their  wants 
than  one  at  Allegheny  or  Princeton.     And  yet  there  did  not 

70 


REV.  THOMAS  E.  THOMAS,  D.  D. 


1854-1856.       THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  /I 

seem  room  enough  for  two  theological  schools  so  near  together 
as  New  Albany  and  Danville. 

Under  the  circumstances,  it  was  not,  at  first  sight,  quite 
apparent  to  the  old  and  tried  supporters  of  New  Albany  what 
was  best  to  be  done.  The  larger  portion  of  the  property  there, 
valued  at  $54,000,  had  been  given  by  the  donors  under  stipu- 
lation that  the  Seminary  should  remain  in  that  city.  To 
remove  it  would  be  to  forfeit  the  gift.  It  is  not  surprising, 
therefore,  that  this  unexpected  location  of  a  seminary  at  Dan- 
ville had  the  effect  of  reopening  the  whole  problem  of  theo- 
logical education  in  the  Northwest.  Thus  the  period  of  five 
or  six  years  following  the  action  of  the  Assembly  in  1853,  was 
one  of  wide  discussion,  much  conflict  of  opinion,  and  no  little 
discouragement  within  the  synods  that  had  apparently  lost 
New  Albany  without  gaining  Danville. 

Although  there  was  a  large  majority  in  the  Assembly  of 
1853  in  favor  of  locating  the  seminary  at  Danville,  there  was 
also  an  earnest  protest  against  it,  signed  by  Drs.  George  Junkin 
and  Jonathan  Edwards,  with  five  others,  on  the  ground  that 
such  a  location  would  not  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  Great 
West,  as  it  was  "too  near  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  vast 
country  and  ecclesiastical  territory  to  be  accommodated." '"  Dr. 
Rice,  although,  in  deference  to  the  Assembly,  he  had  given  up 
all  further  attempt  to  found  a  seminary  at  Cincinnati,  was  also 
opposed  to  the  location  chosen  by  the  Assembly.  He  was 
perfectly  satisfied  that  one  seminary  was  amply  sufficient  for 
the  entire  West  for  many  years  to  come  ;  and  as  fully  satisfied 
that  the  Northwestern  synods  would  not  go  to  Danville. 
"Nevertheless,"  he  says,  "  after  the  seminary  was  located  at 
that  point,  we  more  than  doubted  the  expediency  of  attempt- 
ing to  found  another  for  some  years.  Accordingly,  when 
consulted  by  a  prominent  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
then  residing  in  Indiana,  with  regard  to  the  immediate  reopen- 
ing of  the  New  Albany  Seminary,  we  gave  our  opinion 
against  it."  f 

The  four  synods  north  of  the  Ohio,  in  their  action  in  favor 
of  transferring  the  Seminary  to  Assembly  control,  had  certainly 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly,  1853.       f  Presbyterian  Expositor  of  May,  1859. 


72  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

not  contemplated  a  removal  to  a  place  so  near  as  Danville, 
even  if  they  had  contemplated  any  removal  at  all.  Nor  had 
the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in  their 
offer  to  transfer  the  control  and  the  property  of  the  New 
Albany  Seminary  to  the  Assembly,  looked  forward  to  any 
removal  of  the  Seminary  itself  to  another  location.  On  the 
contrary,  the  Board  of  Directors,  in  their  memorial  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  had  explicitly  said,  in  making  the  offer:  ''But 
the  Board  desire  it  to  be  understood  by  the  Assembly  that 
the  proposed  transfer  is  made  upon  condition  that  the  Semi- 
nary be  retained  at  its  present  location  in  New  Albany,  and 
that  it  be  accepted  by  this  Assembly." 

The  Assembly  of  1853,  in  locating  the  new  seminary  for 
the  whole  West  at  Danville,  undoubtedly  supposed  that  the 
institution  at  New  Albany  would  not  be  continued.  It  mus-t 
have  been  manifest  to  all  that  the  Church  did  not  need  two 
seminaries  on  the  same  field,  and  so  near  each  other.  Dr. 
Wood,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  subse- 
quent to  this  action  of  the  Assembly  of  1853,  expressed  the 
opinion  that,  inasmuch  as  the  Assembly  had  seen  fit  to  locate 
the  seminary  at  Danville,  the  New  Albany  Seminary  could 
no  longer  succeed  at  that  place,  except  in  a  small  way.  And 
he  went  so  far  as  to  propose  that  the  Board  should  appoint  a 
committee  to  inquire  of  Mrs.  Lindsley  (formerly  Mrs.  Ayers) 
whether  she  would  consent  to  have  her  donations  (given  and 
promised)  to  the  Seminary  at  New'  Albany  used  in  some  other 
location.  Dr.  Wood  said  further  that  the  main  reason  for 
locating  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany  no  longer  existed, 
namely,  the  co-operation  of  the  synods  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Ohio  River,  and  therefore  they  ought,  in  his  judgment,  to 
take  the  requisite  steps  for  its  removal.  His  proposition  was 
not,  however,  adopted  at  the  time."^'' 

On  the  contrary,  the  Board  of  Directors,  in  view  of  all  the 
circumstances  of  the  case,  resolved  to  carry  on  the  Seminary 
at  New  Albany,  and  in  October  of  1853  reappointed  Drs.  Mac- 
Master  and  Lindsley  to  the  chairs  they  had  resigned.  The 
three  synods  of  Cincinnati,  Indiana  and  Northern  Indiana,  at 

*  Dr.  Wood's  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Seminary,  and  Presbyterian  Magazine  for 
September,  1854,  p.  426. 


i854-i«56.       THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  73 

their  annual  meetings  held  the  same  month,  took  action  to 
the  same  purpose,  thus  clearly  revealing  that  the  '*  Church 
in  this  great  Northwestern  field  was  resolved  to  have  a 
school  for  the  theological  training  of  her  youth  within  her  own 
borders."  "^ 

The  institution  at  New  Albany  was,  therefore,  opened  at 
the  usual  time,  and  carried  through  the  session  of  1853-1854. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  May,  1854,  the 
subject  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary  elicited  an  animated  and 
protracted  discussion.  Inasmuch  as  some  of  the  former  sup- 
porters of  New  Albany  had  doubted  the  wisdom  of  sustaining 
a  school  at  that  point  after  the  Assembly  had  organized  a  new 
one  at  Danville,  and  inasmuch  as  the  friends  of  Danville  felt 
somewhat  aggrieved  by  this  movement  in  favor  of  New 
Albany,  it  became  incumbent  on  the  Assembly  to  decide  the 
matter.  After  a  full  hearing  of  both  sides,  from  Drs.  R.  J. 
Breckenridge  and  E.  D.  MacMaster  respectively,  the  following 
resolution,  offered  by  the  Rev.  John  A.  McClung  of  Indiana 
(himself  a  Kentuckian),  was  adopted :  "  That  this  General 
Assembly  has  no  intention  in  any  way  to  interfere  with  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  New  Albany,  nor  with  those  synods 
which  shall  continue  to  be  united  in  the  support  and  control  of 
that  institution,  nor  with  any  of  the  churches  under  the  care 
of  such  synods."  f 

By  this  action  the  Assembly  clearly  vindicated  the  ecclesias- 
tical right  of  the  synods  north  of  the  Ohio,  and  the  former 
friends  and  supporters  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary,  to  do 
what  they  saw  best  with  that  institution — either  to  remove  it 
to  some  other  location  farther  north,  or  to  sustain  it  where  it 
was.  For  the  present  they  chose  the  latter,  and  made  a  vigor- 
ous effort  for  its  better  endowment.  The  Board  of  Directors, 
appointed  by  the  three  synods  of  Cincinnati,  Indiana  and  North- 
ern Indiana,  held  an  adjourned  meeting  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  in 
June,  1854,  during  which  the  general  interests  of  the  Seminary 
were  fully  discussed,  and  entire  unanimity  prevailed  as  to 
the  policy  of  carrying  forward  the  institution. 

Encouraged  by  the  recent  action  of   the  Assembly,   and 

*  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer's  Presbyterian  Magazine  for  June,  1857,  p.  258. 
t  Minutes  of  General  Assembly  of  1854. 


74  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

trusting  in  God  for  help,  they  resolved  to  secure  a  faculty  and 
endow  the  Seminary  at  the  earliest  day  practicable.  They 
appointed  well  known  and  successful  agents  to  visit  the  churches 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds.  Dr.  E.  D.  MacMaster  signi- 
fied to  them  his  acceptance  of  the  chair  of  Theology,  to  which 
he  had  been  reappointed  the  autumn  before.  The  Rev. 
Thomas  E.  Thomas,  D.D.,  a  fine  scholar,  and  widely  known 
as  an  able  expository  preacher,  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 
Bibliology  and  Scripture  Exegesis,  and  signified  his  acceptance 
before  the  Board  adjourned.  Rev.  Philip  Lindsley,  D.D., 
agreed  to  give  instruction  in  the  chair  of  Ecclesiology,  which 
he  had  formerly  held. 

Thus,  with  as  full  a  faculty  on  the  ground  as  the  institu- 
tion had  ever  had,  and  with  the  promise  of  a  large  increase 
of  students  at  the  opening  of  the  coming  session,  the  Board, 
through  its  secretary,  Rev.  John  M.  Stevenson,  D.D.,  ad- 
dressed a  circular  to  the  churches,  closing  with  the  follow- 
ing hopeful  words:  "Now  that  the  voice  of  the  Church  has 
been  so  unambiguously  and  repeatedly  expressed  through  the 
directory,  the  synods  and  the  General  Assembly,  and  that 
the  means  for  supporting  the  present  professors  are  secured, 
and  other  plans  perfected  for  the  complete  endowment  of  the 
Seminary — now  that  its  permanent  establishment  has  become 
a  fixed  fact,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  urging  the  friends  of 
our  Zion  in  the  immense  region  interested  to  unite  in  a 
hearty,  persevering  and  prayerful  effort  to  furnish  the  stu- 
dents, and  to  train  a  ministry  such  as  our  country  and  the 
age  demand." 

But  the  results  did  not  answer  to  these  expectations.  The 
professors  were  able  men,  and  they  did  their  part  well.  The 
catalogue  of  the  session  of  1854- 185 5  showed  fifteen  new 
students,  which  was,  indeed,  a  larger  number  than  had  matric- 
ulated in  any  former  year.  But  there  was  a  falling  ofi  the 
next  two  years.  Neither  the  number  of  students  secured  nor 
the  amount  of  endowment  raised  was  what  had  been  expected. 
It  soon  became  evident  that  there  must  be  a  change  of  loca- 
tion. Already  the  question  of  removal  had  begun  to  be 
agitated.     Although,  as  a  point  of  ecclesiastical  order,  there 


1854-1856.       THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  75 

was  no  obstacle  in  the  way  of  continuing  the  Seminary  on  its 
old  ground  at  New  Albany,  still  the  contiguity  of  that  location 
to  Danville  rendered  it  expedient,  and  even  necessary,  in  the 
judgment  of  its  wisest  friends,  that  the  institution,  now  cut  off 
from  the  South,  should  be  removed  to  some  central  point, 
nearer  the  heart  of  its  great  Northwestern  field.  The  Danville 
school  at  that  date  was  rapidly  growing  ;  and  every  day  of 
successful  growth  at  Danville  only  necessitated  and  hastened 
the  departure  from  New  Albany.  It  was  no  longer  a  question 
of  preference,  but  a  question  of  existence.  Dr.  Rice  was  right 
when  he  said  :  ''  Three  elements  are  absolutely  essential  to  a 
successful  theological  seminary — a  suitable  location,  a  pecuni- 
ary basis,  and  qualified  professors  who  enjoy  the  confidence  of 
the  Church."  The  first  of  these  elements  was  now  the  prob- 
lem for  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest.  Where  was  the  best 
location  to  be  found  ? 

By  this  time  things  were  tending  strongly  towards  Chicago. 
During  the  period  when  this  struggling  Seminary  was  seeking 
to  take  root  and  grow  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  Chicago  had 
been  growing  to  greataess  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  It 
was  already  a  city  of  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, and  was  every  day  becoming  more  and  more  the  center 
of  population,  of  commercial  enterprise,  of  wealth  and  power, 
of  unmeasured  influence,  of  the  whole  vast  region  for  which 
the  Church  desired  to  train  an  efficient  ministry.  Why  should 
not  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  be  at  that  center  ? 
There  was  no  longer  any  reason  for  keeping  it  on  the  border. 
There  was  everything  in  favor  of  bringing  it  to  Chicago.  The 
men  along  the  border  themselves  saw  this.  Dr.  J.  G.  Monfort 
in  1855  said,  "I  have  lost  faith  in  any  effort  to  build  up  at 
New  Albany.  If  we  meet  with  any  success  it  must  be  in  a 
new  location."  Then  he  suggested  Chicago  as  the  place,  and 
named  Mr.  McCormick  as  a  Presbyterian  of  wealth  and  liberal- 
ity, w4io,  if  the  matter  were  laid  before  him,  might  give  largely 
himself,  and  induce  others  to  do  the  same.  Dr.  Edward  P. 
Humphrey,  on  the  other  side  of  the  border,  said  to  Rev.  John 
Crozier  in  1856,  ''You  never  can  build  up  a  seminary  within  a 
hundred  miles  of  Danville.     Make  Chic^o-o  your  headquarters, 


/ 


/ 


"j^  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

move  your  seminary  there,  and  you  will  find  co-operation 
there,  and  we  shall  have  peace."  "^ 

Substantially  the  same  conclusion  was  reached  about  this 
time  by  the  professors,  directors  and  others,  in  charge  of  the 
Seminary  at  New  Albany.  After  all  that  had  been  done,  they 
were  extremely  reluctant  to  abandon  the  effort  to  build  up  the 
institution  at  that  place  and  remove  it  to  another.  For  sev- 
eral years  past  strenuous  exertions  had  been  made,  both 
through  the  press  and  by  personal  solicitation  among  the 
churches,  to  endow  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany,  and  to  rally 
around  it  the  Northwestern  synods  and  presbyteries.  Dr. 
John  M.  Stevenson,  who  was  at  the  time  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  New  Albany,  being  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  professors  and  with  all  the  interests  of  the  institution, 
had  but  recently  made  trial  of  what  could  be  done  to  awaken 
the  zeal  of  the  churches,  by  a  voluntary  agency  among  them 
for  the  purpose.     Writing  of  the  time  after  this  effort,  he  says : 

"It  became  evident  to  the  professors,  Drs.  MacMaster  and 
Thomas,  and  to  the  writer,  about  the  middle  of  August,  1856, 
that  it  was  impossible  to  concentrate  the  sympathy,  means  and 
students  of  the  Northwestern  States  at  New  Albany.  Of  the 
various  reasons  creating  this  impossibility,  the  strongest  was 
the  eccentric  position  to  the  field  now  available,  viz.,  the 
Northwest.  By  this  time  we  became  convinced  that,  though 
the  money  might  have  been  received,  the  mind  and  heart 
of  the  Church  could  not  be  carried  to  this  place."  f 

The  initiatory  step  towards  a  removal  of  the  Seminary  to  a 
better  location  was  taken  at  New  Albany  in  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, 1856.  It  was  a  circular  address,  issued  in  pamphlet  form, 
but  unofficially,  after  considerable  consultation,  and  signed 
by  the  two  professors,  Drs.  MacMaster  and  Thomas,  and  by 
fifteen  others,  leading  ministers,  ruling  elders  and  members  of. 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  connection  with  the  synods  of 
Cincinnati,  Indiana,  Northern  Indiana,  Illinois*  Chicago,  Wis- 
consin and  Iowa.  The  paper  reviewed  the  whole  history  of 
theological  education  in  our  country,  the  need  of  a  learned  and 
godly  ministry  for  the  Church,  and  especially   for  this  great 

*  I^etter  of  Rev.  John  Cr^       '  to  the  Author. 

t  I<etter  of  Dr.  Steve  ,  Rev.  John  Crozier,  of  April,  1888. 


\ 


1854-1856.       THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  77 

Northwestern  region,  to  be  trained  within  its  own  borders,  and 
strongly  urged  the  seven  synods  most  deeply  interested  to 
consider  the  question  of  a  new  location,  and  of  a  concerted 
effort  to  build  up  an  institution  worthy  of  and  adequate  to  the 
demands  of  the  Northwest. 

*'  Wherever,"  says  the  address,  "  within  the  broad  field,  the 
hearty  good  will,  the  contributions,  and  the  prayers  of  these 
seven  Northwestern  synods  can  be  concentrated,  thither  let  the 
Seminary  be  removed  and  there  let  the  work  be  done.  In 
behalf  of  all  who  are  immediately  connected  with  the  Semi- 
nary in  its  present  situation,  or  likely  to  be  interested  in  any 
changes  which  a  change  of  location  might  require,  we  think  we 
may  say  confidently  that  they  will  interpose  no  obstacle  to  a 
removal,  should  such  be  the  wish  of  the  synods.'"^'" 

This  able  paper  met  a  hearty  approval  on  the  part  of  the 
synods.  It  was  written  by  Dr.  Thomas,  and  was  endorsed  by 
the  signatures  of  gentlemen  well  known  to  the  churches  of 
the  several  synods,  most  of  them  already  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  affairs  of  the  Seminary.  The  names  of  the 
signers  were:  E.  D.  MacMaster,  John  M.  Stevenson,  J.  W. 
Scott,  J.  G.  Monfort,  H.  Maltby,  John  Finley  Crowe,  Thomas 
S.  Crowe,  John  Crozier,  Thomas  E.  Thomas,  Victor  King,  C. 
Falconer,  Nehemiah  Wade,  O.  N.  Stoddard,  Charles  Elliott, 
J.  H.  McCampbell,  P.  S.  Shields,  John  Bushnell.  The  inten- 
tion at  first  was  to  send  the  circular  only  to  the  churches  of 
the  three_synods — Cincinnati,  Indiana  and  Northern  Indiana — 
at  that  time  controlling  the  Seminary.  On  further  reflection 
it  was  unanimously  agreed  to  send  it  to  the  churches  of  all  the 
Northwestern  synods  alike.  The  paper,  as  the  result  showed, 
had  a  decisive  and  most  important  bearing  on  the  whole  future 
career  of  the  institution.  The  Synod  of  Cincinnati,  being  the 
first  to  meet,  took  prompt  and  decisive  action,  and  thus  led  the 
way.  At  its  fall  meeting  of  1856,  the  following  resolution  was 
adopted  : 

*'  I.  Resolved,  That  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks  unto  God 
for  the  measure  of  favor  conferred  on  the  New  Albany  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  to  record  our  obligation  to  its  professors, 

*  Presbyterian  Magazine,  November,  1856,  pp.  590-598. 


78  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

who,  through  manifold  discouragements,  have  persevered  in 
their  labors  of  love. 

"  2.  That,  however  much  good  the  Seminary  may  have 
done,  or  is  yet  capable  of  doing,  the  conviction  is  forced  upon 
us  that,  with  its  present  location,  it  is  not  capable  of  meeting 
the  wants  of  that  portion  of  the  Church  to  which  it  most  natu- 
rally belongs. 

"  3.  That  this  synod  believes  the  time  has  fully  come  when 
a  special  efTort  ought  to  be  made  to  unite  all  the  synods  of  the 
Northwest  in  the  full  endowment  and  support  of  a  theological 
seminary. 

"4.  That  to  accomplish  this  object  as  soon  as  possible  this 
synod  will  proceed  at  once  to  adopt  a  constitution  for  such  a 
seminary,  which,  after  its  adoption,  shall  be  sent  to  the  several 
synods  of  the  Northwest,  with  a  request  that  they  also  will 
consider  and  adopt  it. 

"  5.  That,  if  any  four  synods  shall  concur  in  this  measure, 
the  Board  of  Directors  appointed  by  them  severally  shall  select 
a  site  as  central  as  may  be,  which  holds  out  the  greatest  induce- 
ments for  the  establishment  of  a  theological  seminary,  and, 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  shall  endeavor  to  provide  build- 
ings, and  to  secure  an  ample  endowment. 

."6.  That  to  further  this  object,  the  synod  agrees  to  the 
transfer  from  New  Albany  to  the  site  thus  selected  of  all  the 
funds  and  appliances  of  the  Seminary  there  established,  so  far 
as  may  be  found  practicable." 

A  constitution  for  the  Seminary,  drawn  up  by  Dr. 
MacMaster,  was  then  adopted,  and  directors  were  appointed. 
During  September  and  October  of  1856,  Dr.  MacMaster,  Dr. 
Thomas  and  Dr.  John  M.  Stevenson  visited  each  of  the  synods, 
and  laid  before  them  the  draft  of  the  constitution,  which,  after 
full  discussion,  was  unanimously  adopted  by  them  all."^  Act- 
ing under  its  provisions,  directors  were  appointed  also  by  each 
of  the  synods.  According  to  a  suggestion  contained  in  the 
circular,  each  of  the  synods  agreed  that  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors thus  appointed  should  meet  on  the  7th  of  November,  1856, 
in  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  order  to  take  the  necessary  measures 

*  See  Appendix  C. 


ib'54-iS56.       THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  79 

to  locate,  endow  and  establish  the  Northwestern  Theological 
Seminary.  '^ 

The  new  Board  of  Directors,  appointed  by  the  different 
synods  of  the  Northwest,  to-wit,  Cincinnati,  Indiana,  Northern 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and  Chicago,  convened  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  in  the  South  Presbyterian  church,  November 
7,  1856,  in  accordance  with  the  order  of  the  appointing  bodies. 
Thirty  delegates  from  the  synods  —  ministers  and  ruling  elders 
—  were  in  attendance  during  the  sessions  of  the  Board,  which 
were  continued  for  several  days.  The  body  was  temporarily 
organized  by  calling  to  the  chair  the  Rev.  Fielding  N.  Ewing, 
of  the  Synod  of  Illinois,  and  appointing  Rev.  James  D.  Mason, 
of  the  Synod  of  Iowa,  to  act  as  secretary.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  nominate  permanent  officers,  when  Rev.  Samuel 
T.  Wilson,  D.D.,  of  the  Synod  of  Chicago,  was  elected  presi- 
dent, Hon.  Lincoln  Clark,  of  the  Synod  of  Iowa,  vice- 
president,  and  Rev.  Joseph  G.  Monfort,  D.D.,  of  the  Synod  of 
Cincinnati,  secretary.  The  question  of  location  was  consid- 
ered, and  a  large  majority  of  the  delegates  expressed  a  decided 
preference  for  Chicago  as  the  place.  But  only  an  informal  vote 
on  this  point  was  taken,  as  it  was  deemed  best  not  to  bind  the 
Board  prematurely  to  any  particular  site.  The  question  of  site 
was  left  to  be  determined  thereafter,  as  contributions  in  the 
form  of  land,  buildings  or  money  might  be  tendered  to  the 
Board. 

It  was  decided  that  the  operations  of  the  Seminary  at  New 
Albany  be  continued  till  the  close  of  the  session  ending  the 
last  of  April,  1857.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  attend  the 
closing  examinations  of  the  students  at  that  time.  The  Board 
also  established  three  professorships,  under  the  titles  of : 
I.  Didactic,  Polemic  and  Pastoral  Theology;  II.  Bibliology, 
including  Biblical  Literature,  Hermeneutics  and  Exegesis  ;  and, 
III.  Ecclesiology,  including  the  Constitution,  PoHty  and  His- 
tory of  the  Church.  They  then  proceeded  to  fill  these  several 
chairs  by  electing,  or  re-electing.  Rev.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  D.D., 
to  the  first ;  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Thomas,  D.D.,  to  the  second,  and 
Rev.  A.  B.  Brown,  D.D.,  to  the  third  —  each  by  a  majority  of 

*  Presbyterian  Magazine,  November.  1856,  p.  599. 


8o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

the  voters  present.  The  three  professors  were  requested  to 
make  provision  for  instruction  in  Sacred  Rhetoric  also  during 
the  term,  at  their  convenience.  ''• 

Dr.  A.  B.  Brown,  who  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Ecclesiol- 
ogy,  declined  the  position.  This  chair,  in  the  institution  before 
its  reorganization,  had  been  made  vacant  by  the  decease  of 
Dr.  Lindsley  in  1855.  The  meeting  was  marked  by  cordial 
unanimity  of  feeling,  and  high  enthusiasm  in  view  of  the 
brightening  prospects  of  the  Seminary,  f 

At  this  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  a  Board  of 
Trustees  was  elected,  to  hold  the  funds  and  property  of  the 
Seminary,  consisting  of  the  following  gentlemen,  namely: 
Hon.  John  Wilson,  Samuel  Howe,  Col.  Richard  J.  Hamilton, 
Rev.  R.  W.  Henry,  A.  B.  Newkirk,  Col.  Roswell  B.  Mason, 
and  Warren  Norton,  of  Chicago,  William  Bailey,  of  Rock 
Island,  III,  and  Hon.  A.  J.  Buel,  of  Valparaiso,  Ind. 

Speaking  of  this  meeting  of  the  Board  a  few  years  later, 
Dr.  Rice  said  :  "  After  a  careful  Survey  of  the  whole  field,  and 
after  duly  considering  other  offers,  the  new  Board  of  Directors, 
representing  seven  synods,  at  the  largest  meeting  they  ever 
held,  selected  Chicago,  with  remarkable  unanimity,  as  the  very 
best  location,  and  for  their  preference  they  assigned  to  the 
synods  and  the  churches  very  satisfactory  reasons ;  and  all  the 
synods,  if  we  mistake  not,  expressed  their  satisfaction  with  the 
selection."  :[: 

Rev.  Samuel  T.  Wilson,  D.D.,  also  refers  to  this  earlier 
occasion  as  being  one  of  united  counsels,  and  of  resolute  pur- 
pose on  the  part  of  the  seven  synods  to  build  up  at  Chicago  a 
Seminary  for  the  Northwest.  In  his  address  at  the  inaugura- 
tion of  the  new  professors  in  the  autumn  of  1859,  ^^^  ^^^^  • 
"  Three  years  ago,  precisely,  the  voice  of  seven  synods  in  the 
Northwest,  as  the  voice  of  one  man,  united  in  saying,  '  We 
need  a  seminary  for  the  training  of  ministers  for  this  wide  and 
extending  field,  and  with  the  help  of  God  we  will  arise  and 
build  one.'  The  purpose  thus  so  harmoniously  formed  met 
with  the  hearty  response  of  every   Presbyterian   heart,   and 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  1856. 
t  Presbyterian  Mapfazine.  October,  1856. 
X  Presbyleriau  Expositor,  May,  1859,  P-  271. 


1854-1856.      THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  8 1 

within  a  few  months  thereafter  such  a  beginning  had  been 
made  as  seemed  to  promise  a  speedy  reahzation  of  all  that 
was  desired." 

The  hearty  co-operation  of  the  Northwestern  synods  in 
deciding  upon  Chicago  as  the  most  suitable  place  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  their  Seminary  met  the  general  approval  of  the 
Church,  not  only  in  the  West,  but  in  the  East.  Here,  if  any- 
where, a  seminary  was  needed.  Here  it  would  be  entirely 
beyond  the  bounds  of  any  seminary  then  in  existence.  And 
here,  with  God's  blessing,  it  could  most  easily  train  a  ministry 
adequate  to  supply  the  need  of  the  great  field.  Dr.  Van  Rens- 
selaer, who,  as  secretary  of  the  Assembly's  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, had  become  acquainted  with  the  whole  country, 
and  knew  both  the  importance  and  the  wants  of  the  North- 
west, hailed  the  movement  with  great  satisfaction.  In  an  able 
article,  published  in  the  "  Presbyterian  Magazine"  of  the  next 
year,  he  vindicated  the  propriety  of  the  synodical  movement 
and  gave  it  high  commendation  as  one  sure  of  success.  He 
said  : 

"  We  hailed  from  the  beginning  the  establishment  of  a  new 
Presbyterian  theological  seminary  in  the  Northwest.  We 
rejoice  in  the  prosecution  of  the  enterprise  under  encouraging 
circumstances,  and  trust  that  the  Providence  of  God  will  con- 
tinue to  show  His  favor  unto  the  end.  This  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest  takes  the  place  of  the  one  at  New  Albany.  There 
is  no  addition  to  the  number  of  theological  seminaries.  The 
Synod  of  Cincinnati  took  the  initiatory  ecclesiastical  action, 
and  judged  it  best  to  lay  the  plan  immediately  before  all  the 
Northwestern  synods.  We  believe,  on  a  calm  review  of  the 
case,  that  they  acted  wisely.  Prompt  action  is  commonly 
efficient  action;     Much  has  been  accomplished  already."  ^ 

An  important  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  held 
in  the  North  Presbyterian  church  of  Chicago,  February  3,  1857. 
A  resolution  was  adopted  opening  the  way  for  the  admis- 
sion of  the  Synod  of  Missouri  to  a  share  in  the  management  of 
the  institution.  The  executive  committee  reported  that  a 
number  of  liberal  offers  of  land  had  been  made  to  the  Board, 

*  Presbyterian  Magazine,  June,  1857,  p.  257-260. 


82  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

and  among  them  an  offer  of  real  estate  in  Hyde  Park,  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  and  in  full  view  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and 
upon  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  estimated  to  be  worth 
$75,000  or  $100,000,  this  last  offer  being  made  upon  the  condi- 
tion that  the  Seminary  be  permanently  located  at  Hyde  Park, 
and  that  the  Board  go  forward  energetically  in  the  erection  of 
the  necessary  improvements.  This  offer  the  committee  com- 
mended to  the  acceptance  of  the  Board.  After  mature  deliber- 
ation and  interchange  of  views  upon  the  subject,  the  Board 
accepted  the  offer,  and  voted  that  the  Seminary  be  perma- 
nently located  at  Hyde  Park.  The  trustees  of  the  institution 
were  directed  to  meet  together  as  soon  as  the  charter,  then 
before  the  legislature  of  Illinois,  should  be  received,  and  pre- 
pare plans  for  the  building,  choose  a  building  committee,  and 
take  all  necessary  steps  for  the  rapid  prosecution  of  the  work 
of  improvement.* 

The  Charter  of  Incorporation  was  granted  by  the  legislature 
of  Illinois,  March  21,  1857,  ^^^^  i*  is  a  document  of  importance 
in  this  history.  Being  granted  to  the  synodical  Board  of 
Directors,  representing  the  seven  Northwestern  synods  at  that 
time  in  charge  of  the  Seminary,  it  was  accepted  by  the  new 
Board  of  Directors  who  came  into  of^ce  under  the  act  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  1859.  ^^  was  regarded  by  the  new  Board 
of  Directors  as  amply  sufficient  for  all  the  purposes  of  a  semi- 
nary under  the  care  of  the  General  Assembly.  The  charter 
recognized  the  "  Constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest,"  then  existing,  and  constituted  a 
Board  of  Trustees,  consisting  of  the  gentlemen  named  in  it, 
and  their  successors,  to  be  a  "  body  corporate  and  politic  in 
law  and  in  fact."  It  is  the  one  and  only  charter  under  which 
the  Seminary  has  since  existed.  By  this  Board  of  Trustees, 
thus  created,  and  continued  in  unbroken  succession,  all  the 
property  of  the  institution  has  been  held,  since  its  removal  to 
Chicago.  This  primal  and  fundamental  enactment  is  given  in 
full  in  the  Appendix.f 

The  Synod  of  Missouri  was  one  of  the  first  synods  that 
had  accepted  the  invitation  to  unite  in   the  support   and   con- 

*  Presbyterian  Magazine,  April,  1857,  p.  190.  t  Appendix  D. 


1854-1856.      THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  83 

trol  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary,  and  had  repeatedly  recom- 
mended it  to  the  patronage  of  its  churches  and  given  its 
agents  a  cordial  welcome.  Nor  had  it  ever,  even  after  the 
location  of  the  Danville  Seminary,  severed  its  connection  with 
the  New  Albany  Seminary.  Some  recent  action  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  at  Chicago  had  seemed  to  exclude  that  synod. 
Hence  the  above  mentioned  resolution  on  the  part  of  the 
Board,  opening  the  way  for  the  synod  to  resume  its  former 
place  in  the  management. 

To  this  the  synod  responded  at  its  first  subsequent  meeting, 
in  the  autumn  of   1857,  by  the  following  decisive  action  : 

"  Whereas,  This  synod  has  always  heretofore  maintained 
its  interest  in  the  Theological  Seminary  established  at  New 
Albany,  and  has  never  withdrawn  from  its  connection  with  the 
other  synods  associated  in  the  government  of  said  Seminary; 
and  whereas,  by  the  action  of  some  of  the  other  synods  the 
said  Seminary  has  been  removed  to  Chicago,  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  there  is  placed  under  the  control  of  several  synods 
which  are  associated  in  its  government  ;  and  whereas,  the  said 
action  in  removing  the  said  Seminary  does  not  deprive  this 
synod  of  its  interests  in  the  funds  of  said  institution,  nor  of 
its  right  to  participate  in  the  control  of  said  institution  and  its 
funds ;  and  whereas,  it  is  the  understanding  of  this  synod  that 
the  synods  heretofore  associated  with  this  synod  in  the  main- 
tenance and  control  of  the  institution  while  located  at  New 
Albany  had  no  design  to  deprive  this  synod  of  its  right  in  the 
control  of  said  institution  by  its  removal  to  Chicago;  and  far- 
ther, that  the  synods  now  associated  in  the  control  and  govern- 
ment of  said  Seminary  desire  that  this  synod  shall  continue  to 
take  part  in  its  maintenance  and  government ;  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  this  synod  now  proceed  to  elect  four 
directors  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  in  accordance  with  Section  4  of  Article  II  of  the 
Constitution  adopted  for  the  Seminary."* 

In  the  meantime  the  work  of  instruction  was  carried  for- 
ward by  the  professors  at  New  Albany.  At  the  close  of  the 
session  in  the  spring  of  1857  it  was  thought  best  to  suspend 

*  Pamphlet  on  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary,  by  N.  I<.  Rice,  Chicago,  1857. 


84  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

all  exercises  in  the  Seminary  until  it  should  be  reopened  at 
Chicago.  The  new  students  matriculated  the  last  two  years 
had  been  eight  in  the  fall  of  1855  and  five  in  the  fall  of  1856. 
During  the  last  session  sixteen  students  had  been  in  attendance, 
five  of  whom  completed  the  full  course  of  studies  and  received 
the  diploma  of  graduation.  The  whole  number  educated  in 
the  institution  was  one  hundred  and  ninety-two,  of  whom  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven  attended  at  New  Albany  and  forty- 
five  at  Hanover. 

The  catalogue  of  the  Seminary  for  1854-185 5  shows  nine- 
teen students  in  attendance — one  in  the  senior  class,  eight  in 
the  middle  class  and  ten  in  the  junior  class.  The  library  then 
consisted  of  forty-five  hundred  volumes  of  valuable  books, 
well  suited  to  the  purposes  o^  theological  study,  to  which  the 
students  had  free  access.  The  buildings  of  the  Seminary,  two 
in  number  and  of  brick,  contained,  besides  library  and  lecture 
rooms,  twenty-nine  handsomely  furnished  rooms  for  students. 
There  was  no  charge  for  instruction,  library  or  room  rent, 
except  an  annual  fee  of  five  dollars  required  from  each  student 
to  help  pay  current  expenses.  Good  boarding  was  obtained 
in  a  private  family  on  the  Seminary  premises  at  two  dollars 
per  week.  Fuel,  lights  and  washing  were  furnished  at  sixteen 
to  eighteen  dollars  per  session.  As  the  session  opened  with 
the  first  week  in  September  and  ended  with  the  last  week  in 
April,  the  whole  cost  to  each  student,  exclusive  of  books  and 
clothing,  was  about  ninety  dollars  per  session. 

Dr.  James  Wood,  in  his  historical  sketch  of  the  Semi- 
nary, makes  the  following  statement  in  regard  to  these  closing 
years  at  New  Albany  :  "  The  small  number  of  new  students 
who  entered  the  Seminary  in  1855  (the  year  before  its  opera- 
tions were  suspended  at  New  Albany)  was  owing,  we  doubt 
not,  to  the  fact  of  the  uncertainty  of  its  continuance  at  that 
place  even  for  that  year,  as  the  subject  of  its  removal  had 
begun  to  be  agitated,  and  hence- young  men  were  in  doubt 
whether,  if  they  should  go  to  New  Albany,  they  would  find 
professors  in  attendance  to  give  them  instruction.  Indeed,  in 
view  of  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  wonder  is  that 
the  number,  for  several  years  previous  to  1855,  was  so  large. 


1854-1856.      THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  85 

''  In  looking  over  the  whole  Hst  of  the  students,  and  tracing 
their  course  of  active  and  useful  labor  in  the  Lord's  vineyard, 
we  see  cause  for  devout  gratitude  to  God  that  the  Seminary- 
has  been  enabled  to  accomplish  so  much  good.  Several  have 
been  distinguished  lights  in  the  Church ;  and,  taken  as  a 
whole,  they  will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  any  equal 
number  of  students  who  have  pursued  their  studies,  during 
the  same  years,  in  other  theological  seminaries  of  our  coun- 
try." ^ 

The  synodical  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest,  as  has  been  stated,  held  its  first  meet- 
ing at  Chicago  in  November,  1856,  and  it  continued  to  meet  in 
November,  or  at  other  times,  for  several  years.  But,  owing  to 
the  financial  distress  of  the  country,  and  the  difficulty  of  rais- 
ing money,  although  Chicago  had  been  fixed  upon  as  the 
proper  location  of  the  school,  and  professors  had  been 
appointed  by  the  Board,  no  attempt  was  made  at  this  time  to 
reopen  the  Seminary  at  Chicago  for  the  actual  work  of 
instruction.  There  was  thus  an  interregnum  in  the  work  of 
instruction  for  more  than  two  years;  that  is,  from  the  closing 
of  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany  in  April,  1857,  down  to 
September  ist,  1859,  when  it  was  reopened  at  Chicago,  under 
the  new  board  and  the  new  faculty  chosen  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  that  year.  This  period,  at  the  beginning  of 
which  occurred  the  failure  of  the  Loan  and  Trust  Company  of 
Ohio  at  Cincinnati  in  1857,  ^^^^  during  which  there  was  a 
failure  of  the  crops  throughout  the  Northwest,  was  a  time  of 
great  financial  depression  and  general  business  prostration, 
which  made  it  impossible  to  raise  money  for  the  Seminary. 
As  will  be  seen  in  a  subsequent  chapter  of  this  history,  the  old 
synodical  Board  held  its  fourth,  and  last  meeting,  in  the  city 
of  Indianapolis  in  May,  1859,  ^"^  then  transferred  the  institu- 
tion to  the  General  Assembly,  in  session  there  at  the  time. 
During  the  few  years  of  its  existence  the  following  ministers 
and  ruling  elders  were  from  time  to  time  members  of  this 
synodical  Board,  as  representatives  of  their  respective  North- 
western synods.     They  were  earnest  and  faithful  men,  deeply 

*  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Seminary,  p.  58. 


86  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

solicitous  for  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary,  and  doing  what 
they  could,  though  amidst  adverse  times,  to  further  its  inter- 
ests. Many  of  them  held  prominent  and  influential  positions, 
as  ministers  or  ruling  elders,  in  the  churches  of  the  Northwest, 
and  their  names  well  deserve  an  honored  place  in  this  record. 
The  synodical  Board  consisted  of  the  following  members,  viz.: 
From  the  Synod  of  Ohio:  Ministers — Joseph  G.  Monfort, 
Hugh  S.  Fullerton,  J.  W.  Scott,  W.  B.  Spence,  Nathaniel 
West,  Robert  L.  Stanton,  Samuel  R.  Wilson,  Samuel  Crothers, 
H.  Maltby;  Ruling  Elders— J.  M.  Glover,  O.  N.  Stoddard 
and  E.  A.  Moore.  From  the  Synod  of  Indiana :  Ministers — 
John  M.  Stevenson,  John  A.  Steele,  Alexander  Sterret,  Joseph 
Warren,  James  B.  Crowe,  Joseph  W.  Blythe,  Henry  H.  Cam- 
bern,  L.  D.  Potter;  Ruling  Elders — James  Blake,  Victor 
King,  A.  R.  Forsythe,  James  M.  Ray,  J.  H.  McCampbell,  P. 
S.  Shields,  John  Bushnell.  From  the  Synod  of  Northern 
Indiana :  Ministers — James  C.  Brown,  Levi  Hughes,  E.  W. 
Wright;  Ruling  Elder — Jesse  L.  Williams.  From  the  Synod 
of  Illinois :  Ministers — Thomas  W.  Hynes,  Fielding  N.  Ewing 
William  T.  Adams;  Ruling  Elders — James  L.  Lamb,  J.  T 
Eccles.  From  the  Synod  of  Chicago  :  Ministers — Robert  C 
Matthews,  Samuel  T.  Wilson;  Ruling  Elder — Charles  A 
Spring.  From  the  Synod  of  Wisconsin:  Ministers — John  M 
Buchanan,  H.  TCl.  Robertson,  Reuben  Smith,  Warren  Norton 
From  the  Synod  of  Iowa:  Ministers — Joshua  Phelps,  James 
D.  Mason,  John  P.  Conkey,  John  Ekin,  Samuel  J.  Baird 
Ruling  Elders — Lincoln  Clark,  Charles  Kinkead.  From  the 
Synod  of  Southern  Iowa:  Minister — Jeptha  Harrison. 

During  several  sessions  preceding  the  closing  of  the  Semi- 
nary at  New  Albany  in  1857,  the  whole  work  of  instruction 
had  been  carried  on  by  its  two  able  professors,  Drs.  E.  D.  Mac- 
Master  and  Thomas  E.  Thomas.  Their  connection  with  the 
institution  did  not  cease,  however,  until  the  time  of  the  trans- 
fer to  the  General  Assembly  in  1859.  ^^  Dr.  MacMaster  was 
re-elected  to  a  professorship  in  the  Seminary  at  Chicago  by  the 
Assembly  of  1866,  his  name  will  again  appear  in  subse- 
quent chapters  of  this  history.  But  as  the  name  of  Dr. 
Thomas  drops  out   from  this  time,  it  is  fitting  to  give  at  this 


1854-1856.      THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  87 

point  some  memorial  of  his  character  and  services.  In  the 
judgment  of  those  who  knew  him  best,  he  was  a  man  of  strong 
character  and  of  eminent  abiHties,  both  as  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel  and  an  instructor  of  youth..  In  each  department  he 
stood  in  the  front  rank,  and  his  services  were  always  in  demand 
among  the  churches  and  for  schools  of  learning. 

Rev.  Thomas  Ebenezer  Thomas,  D.D.,  was  a  native  of 
England,  having  been  born  at  Chelmsford,  December  23,  18 12. 
He  was  graduated  at  the  Miami  University,  Ohio,  in  1834; 
was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Oxford  to  preach  the  gospel 
in  1836,  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Cincinnati  in  1837. 
After  serving  two  pastoral  charges  in  Ohio,  one  at  Harrison 
and  the  other  at  Hamilton,  he  accepted  the  presidency  of 
Hanover  College  in  1849,  which  he  resigned  in  1854  to  take  the 
professorship  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  New  Albany,  at  the  same  time  be- 
coming stated  supply  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
that  city.  In  1858  he  became  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian church  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  This  pastorate  he 'held  until 
1 87 1,  when  he  was  elected  professor  of  New  Testament  Greek 
and  Exegesis  in  Lane  Theological  Seminary  at  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  which  position  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death,  on  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1875. 

Dr.  Thomas  did  good  service  in  all  the  charges  he  held, 
whether  of  preaching  or  teaching.  As  an  expository  preacher 
of  the  Word  of  God  he  was  able  and  instructive.  His  minis- 
trations in  the  pulpit  and  his  instructions  in  the  class  room 
were  invariably  marked  by  scholarly  culture,  energy  of  thought, 
and  great  earnestness  of  manner.  He  was  a  man  of  much 
firmness  and  decision  of  character,  and  on  all  questions  had  the 
courage  of  his  convictions.  As  a  preacher  he  was  at  all  times 
eloquent  and  impressive  in  a  high  degree.  In  writing  of  him, 
a'  contemporary  bears  this  strong  testimony :  '*  He  followed 
his  convictions  of  duty  at  all  hazards.  He  was  frank  and  fear- 
less in  the  avowal  of  his  opinions,  and  there  was  no  difficulty 
in  determining  on  which  side  of  a  question  he  stood.  He 
excelled  as  a  debater,  and  always  appeared  to  advantage  in  the 
discussions  of  the  judicatories  of  the  Church.      By  those  who 


88  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

knew  him  he  was  regarded  as  an  able,  conscientious  and  faith- 
ful man  in  all  the  positions  he  occupied."  '-^ 

The  death  of  Dr.  Thomas,  occurring,  as  it  did,  after  a  brief 
illness,  when  he  was  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  matured  powers, 
and  at  the  height  of  his  extended  usefulness,  created  a  pro- 
found feeling  of  sorrow  in  the  Church  at  large,  and  especially 
among  those  congregations  and  educational  institutions  where 
his  acceptable  labors  had  been  enjoyed.  He  had  long  been 
regarded  as  a  standard  bearer  of  truth  and  righteousness  in  the 
cause  of  his  Master  throughout  the  wide  region  where  his 
ministerial  lot  was  cast ;  and  his  sudden  departure  called  forth 
the  deepest  sympathies  of  the  large  circle  of  friends  and  pupils 
who  had  known  and  loved  him  during  his  brilliant  career. 
From  the  time  he  entered  upon  his  work  he  was  always  full  of 
enthusiasm  and  abundant  in  labors.  He  had  spent  in  all  about 
forty  fruitful  years  as  a  public  instructor,  a  teacher  of  youth 
and  a  leader  of  God's  people,  either  in  the  school,  the  college, 
the  theological  seminary  or  the  pastoral  office.  Twenty-seven 
of  these  years  were  devoted  to  pastoral  work  in  his  different 
charges.  He  was  equally  at  home  and  successful  in  the  pulpit, 
in  the  theological  school,  and  in  the  presidential  office  of  the 
college. 

At  his  residence  on  Walnut  }l\\\s,  near  Lane  Theological 
Seminary,  where  he  died,  a  large  concourse  of  friends,  includ- 
ing professors,  students  and  ministers  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati, 
met  on  the  morning  of  February  5,  1875,  to  pay  their  tribute 
of  respect  to  the  honored  dead  in  appropriate  funeral  services. 
After  these  services  were  ended,  the  remains  of  this  servant 
of  God  were  conveyed  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  borne  to  the 
First  Presbyterian  church,  where  he  had  once  been  pastor, 
and  where  a  large  audience,  drawn  from  the  whole  region,  was 
already  assembled  in  the  fine  edifice  erected  by  the  liberality 
of  the  congregation  during  the  pastorate  of  the  deceased.  As 
the  casket  was  borne  in  to  the  tolling  of  the  bell,  and  passed 
through  the  main  aisle  to  the  bier  in  front  of  the  pulpit  from 
which  so  often  the  eloquence  of  the  deceased  had  streamed  in 
other  days,  the  tears  and  sympathies  of  the  assembled  multi- 

*Dr.  Nevin's  Presbyterian  Encyclopedia,  p.  938. 


1854-1^56.      THE  SEMINARY  QUESTION  REOPENED.  89 

tude  betrayed  how  deeply  he  had  enshrined  himself  in  the 
admiration  and  affection  of  the  people.  Here,  after  other 
appropriate  services  of  prayer  and  praise,  a  funeral  discourse 
was  delivered  by  Professor  Henry  Smith  of  Lane  Seminary, 
on  the  text,  ''  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 
It  was  full  of  comfort,  pathos  and  power.  The  procession  then 
moved  to  the  cemetery,  where  the  last  solemn  service  was  per- 
formed, in  a  touching  and  impressive  manner,  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas  H.  Skinner,  pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church 
of  Cincinnati. 

A  few  weeks  later,  in  the  same  church,  an  eloquent  memo- 
rial discourse  on  the  life  and  character  of  Dr.  Thomas  was 
delivered  by  his  intimate  and  admiring  friend.  Rev.  Nathaniel 
West,  D.D.,  of  Cincinnati.  From  this  brilliant  eulogium  we 
may  incorporate  here  a  single  passage,  as  giving  a  most  graphic 
and  truthful  portraiture  of  this  gifted  man. 

'*  Dr.  Thomas  was  clear  in  understanding,  comprehensive  in 
grasp,  quick  and  penetrating  in  perception.  Affable  in  man- 
ners, accessible  and  courteous,  manly  and  dignified,  tender  as  a 
child,  sympathetic  and  truthful,  free,  frank,  generous,  firm  when 
firmness  was  needed,  playful  as  a  sportive  jet  from  the  fountain, 
mirthful  with  his  keen  twinkling  eye,  sparkling  with  anecdote, 
wit  and  humor,  and  chaste  in  every  expression,  he  was  one  of 
the  most  socially  gifted,  delightful  and  companionable  of  men. 
Enthusiastic  in  hospitality,  who  that  knocked  at  his  door  and 
felt  the  warm  grasp  of  his  hand,  could  ever  forget  that  hearty 
welcome :  '  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord ;  wherefore 
standest  thou  without  ? '  Brave  as  a  lion  and  regardless  of  self, 
his  soul  sprang,  as  by  a  single  leap,  to  the  side  of  the  right,  and 
triumphed  or  fell  with  the  cause  it  espoused.  His  courage 
remained  undaunted  by  misfortune.  His  confidence  was 
unbroken  by  adversity.  His  righteousness  sustained  him. 
His  presence  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  any  cause.  If  at  times 
the  ardor  of  virtue  betrayed  him  into  verbal  indiscretions, 
which  in  calmer  moods  his  better  judgment  would  have 
shunned,  none  readier  than  he  to  ask  forgiveness." 

**  If,"  continued  Dr.  West,  "the  consistent  voice  of  pupils, 
colleagues,  directors,  and  those  who  best  knew  him,  is  of  value, 


90  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Dr.  Thomas  stood  second  to  none  as  a  teacher  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  or  in  the  nation.  The  rich  furniture  of  his  mind, 
the  sharpness  of  his  intuition,  his  power  of  induction  and  deduc- 
tion, his  logical  precision  and  comprehensive  grasp,  his 
exhaustive  treatment,  and  ability  to  impart  instruction  to 
others,  ranked  him  as  an  educator  of  the  first  degree.  He 
exercised  a  stimulating  effect  on  the  minds  of  his  students. 
As  president  he  commanded  respect  and  obedience ;  as  pro- 
fessor, an  attachment  that  was  simply  romantic.  The  chair  of 
instruction  was  his  throne.  No  clod,  cold  and  lifeless  was 
there,  burdened  by  a  sense  of  its  own  importance,  while  he  sat 
in  it.  The  scholar  was  smitten  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
master,  the  pupil  with  the  charm  of  the  teacher.  He  connected 
every  student  with  himself  by  wires  of  his  own  battery,  and  a 
magnetic  stream  of  sympathy  ran  tingling  through  them  all. 
Sometimes  a  shock  and  a  flash  might  indeed  wake  the  disciple 
to  a  sense  of  his  responsibilities,  but  not  oftener  than  beads  of 
dew  might  be  seen  in  the  master's  eye.  Only  the  genius  of  an 
adept  in  the  art  could  guide  the  steps  of  the  learner,  without 
weariness,  through  intricate  processes  of  argument  and  expo- 
sition." 

''As  a  teacher,"  says  Dr.  S.  F.  Scovel,  of  Pittsburgh,  who  sat 
at  his  feet  for  seven  years,  "  he  was  unsurpassed.  In  the  quiet 
summer  afternoons,  during  his  presidency,  with  the  audience  of 
young  men  seated  solidly  in  front  of  him,  v/ith  Robinson's 
Greek  Harmony  in  his  hand,  and  a  section  of  the  life  of  Christ 
under  review,  I  have  known  him  to  hold  his  students  and  the 
audience  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  leave  them  hungering  for 
more.  He  could  not  but  be  fervent  who  thought  so  clearly, 
and  felt  so  deeply." 


REV.   NATHAN  1>.   RICE,   D.  1^- 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PROPOSED    TRANSFER   TO    THE    GENERAL 
ASSEMBLY. 

1857-1859. 


Disturbing  Elements.  The  Slavery  Question.  State  of  the  Country.  A 
Paper  from  Dr.  MacMaster.  Election  of  Dr.  Rice  as  Professor.  Action  of 
the  Board  of  Directors.  Synoclical  and  Assembly  Control.  A  Partial  Trans- 
fer to  the  General  Assembly.  Action  of  the  Seven  Synods  on  the  Subject. 
Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Proposed  Transfer.  The  General 
Assembly  of  1859.  Difficulties  of  the  Question.  Drs.  Rice  and  MacMaster. 
Their  Recognized  Ability.  Their  Leadership.  Their  Antagonistic  Posi- 
tions. Their  Agreement  and  Divergence.  Bitter  Personal  Controversy. 
Dr.  Rice's  Pamphlet!  Dr.  MacM aster's  Letters.  Effect  on  tlie  Seminary. 
Impression  on  the  Church.  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer's  Opmion.  Testimonial  of 
the  Board  to  Dr.  MacMaster.  r3r.  MacMaster  Set  Aside  for  the  Time.  His 
Influence  not  Destroyed.  Vindicated  by  Subsequent  Events.  Assembly 
Control  Desired. 


Though  the  prospect.s  of  the  Seminary,  looking  to  its  pro- 
posed transfer  to  Chicago,  seemed  at  first  so  bright  and 
encouraging,  yet  i4:  was  not  long  before  signs  of  disturbance 
began  to  appear,  which  threatened  to  break  up  the  amity  thus 
far  prevaiHng,  and  to  bring  disa.ster  on  the  cause.  Already 
there  had  been  some  conflicts  of  opinion,  and  .some  cen.sorious 
criticism  of  men  and  measures  connected  with  the  movement, 
which  foreboded  evil,  and  marred  the  peace  of  the  Church.  It 
was  evident  that  so  great  an  undertaking  as  the  endowment  of 
a  theological  school  for  the  whole  Northwest  demanded  the 
entire  strength  and  the  cordial  co-operation  of  all  the  .synods 
and  all  the  churches  within  its  borders.  But  unforeseen 
difificulties,    in   the   shape    of   conflicting    views    and    divided 

91 


92  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

counsels,  and  even  sharp  personal  controversy  on  the  part  of 
leading  friends  of  the  cause,  appeared  during  the  autumn  of 
1857,  and  gathered  intensity  through  the  ensuing  year.  These 
disturbing  elements  soon  obscured  the  outlook,  and  for  a  time 
promised  to  defeat  the  undertaking.  For  they  had  the  effect 
of  destroying  confidence,  in  a  matter  where  confidence  was 
essential  to  success.  It  was  the  old  sad  story  of  a  house 
divided  against  itself,  and  here  a  great  house  was  to  be  built. 

The  root  of  the  trouble  was  the  slavery  question,  which  by 
this  time  had  grown  into  national  importance,  and  was  deeply 
agitating  the  public  mind  in  every  section  of  the  country  and 
every  part  of  the  Church.  To  the  friends  and  supporters 
of  the  re-located  Seminary,  now  about  to  be  erected  on  its 
Northern  site,  it  was  a  most  difficult  problem  how  to  conserve 
the  true  interests  of  the  institution,  and  yet  keep  clear  of  the 
angry  antagonisms  of  the  times.  All  parties  were  to  be  united 
around  a  common  center  and  for  one  great  interest ;  and  yet 
it  was  already  manifest  that  the  prominent  men  in  the  Church, 
not  less  than  in  the  state,  had  taken  their  firm,  unalterable 
positions  on  opposite  sides  of  this  agitating  question,  and 
stood  arrayed  in  unyielding  conflict. 

A  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  held  at  Chicago 
on  the  first  day  of  September,  1857,  ^^  which  a  plan  was  pro- 
posed to  the  synods  by  which  the  General  Assembly  should 
have  some  control  in  the  affairs  of  the  Seminary.  A  communi- 
cation was  received  from  Dr.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  professor  of 
Didactic  Theology,  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  in  consequence 
of  various  rumors  touching  his  views  on  that  subject.  The 
object  of  this  paper  was  to  define  his  true  position  on  the 
question  of  slavery,  vindicate  himself  from  certain  injurious 
misrepresentations,  and  maintain  that  his  opinions  on  that  sub- 
ject were  in  entire  accord  with  the  position  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  as  interpreted  by  "all  her  public  and  authoritative 
acts."  He  desired  that  a  copy  of  this  letter  should  be  sent  to 
each  of  the  synods  united  in  the  control  of  the  Seminary. 

'*  All  these  accusations,"  said  he,  "  so  far  as  they  have  refer- 
ence to  me,  ultimately  rest  on  the  ground  of  objection  to  my 
alleged  views  of  slavery,  and  my  alleged  design,  along  with 


1857-1859-     PROPOSED  TRANSFER  TO  THE  ASSEMBLY.  93 

others,  to  make  the  Seminary  an  agency  for  a  factitious  and 
schismatic  agitation  of  that  subject."  His  full  and  clear  state- 
ment to  the  directory  was  regarded  as  a  manly  and  satisfactory 
answer  to  the  charges.  Probably  no  one  of  his  ministerial 
brethren  was  more  intimate  with  Dr.  MacMaster,  or  under- 
stood him  better  on  this  subject,  than  Rev.  John  Crozier,  who 
had  been  his  pupil  through  both  college  and  seminary,  and  was 
afterwards  associated  with  him  as  a  director  of  the  Seminary  at 
New  Albany.  Speaking  of  the  exciting  period  now  under 
review,  and  of  the  sentiments  expressed  by  Dr.  MacMaster  in 
this  communication,  Mr.  Crozier  said  :  "  I  know  these  were  his 
sentiments,  freely  uttered  whenever  the  subject  was  men- 
tioned. Dr.  MacMaster  said  then,  '  I  have  no  mission  on  the 
subject  of  slavery.  I  stand  on  the  deliverances  of  the  Church. 
I  think  in  the  action  of  1845  (Dr.  Rice's  resolution)  there  are 
some  things  not  well  considered  ;  but  taken  with  other  deliv- 
erances, and  interpreting  them  all  together,  by  the  acknowl- 
edged laws  of  interpretation.  I  accept  them  all  and  stand 
on  them.  Our  mission  in  the  Seminary  is  to  raise  up  earnest, 
godly  and  well-trained  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  to 
make  known  the  everlasting  gospel  to  their  perishing  fellow- 
men,  and  to  leave  the  vexed  question  of  slavery  to  be  settled 
by  those  who  have  practically  to  deal  with  it.'  What  infinite 
trouble,  what  heart-burnings  might  have  been  saved  to  the 
Church,  and  what  advantage  gained  to  her  rising  ministry  for 
seven  or  eight  years  under  this  great  master's  training,  if  these 
asseverations  had  been  received  with  the  common  credence 
due  to  Christian  gentlemen."^ 

At  this  meeting  of  the  Board  Rev.  Nathan  L.  Rice,  D.D., 
was  elected  to  the  vacant  professorship  of  Ecclesiology.  The 
general  opinion  of  the  Church  had  pointed  to  Dr.  Rice  from 
the  beginning  as  one  of  the  professors  of  the  Seminary.  Once 
before,  as  early  as  1848,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Matthews,  he  had 
been  elected  professor  of  Didactic  Theology.  When  this 
second  election  was  announced  by  telegraph  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  Church  there  was  a  general  feeling  of  satisfaction 
expressed,  for  it  was  hoped  that  his  election  would  heal  all 

*  lyCtter  of  Rev.  John  Crozier  to  the  Author. 


94  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

divisions  and  place  the  Seminary  in  a  position  to  command 
the  confidence  of  all  the  churches.  But,  as  on  the  former 
occasion,  so  now,  Dr.  Rice  declined  the  appointment. 

Before  adjourning  the  Board  adopted  the  following  impor- 
tant measure,  looking  to  Assembly  control  of  the  Seminary, 
and  strongly  setting  forth  the  importance  of  entire  confidence 
and  harmony  in  its  management.  Nothing  could  better  illus- 
trate, than  does  this  paper,  the  exact  position  of  affairs  in  the 
Northwest  at  that  crisis  as  regarded  this  exciting  question. 

''  Whereas,  There  exists  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  within 
the  bounds  of  the  seven  synods  having  the  direction  and  con- 
trol of  the  Presbyterian  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  a  want  of 
that  entire  confidence  so  imperatively  necessary  to  the  success 
of  our  great  enterprise ;  and  whereas,  we  entertain  the  belief 
that  this  has  resulted  from  supposed  differences  of  opinion 
in  regard  to  a  most  trying  and  difficult  national  evil ;  and 
whereas,  we  have  r'eceived  with  much  pleasure  from  one  of  the 
professors  elect  (in  which  it  is  understood  that  the  other  also 
concurs)  such  an  open  and  manly  exhibition  of  his  views  upon 
this  vexed  question,  in  which  he  declares  himself  as  entirely 
in  harmony  with  the  position  of  the  General  Assembly ;  and 
whereas,  it  is  manifest  to  all  that,  without  this  union  and  har- 
mony, we  cannot  interest  nor  call  out  the  united  sympathy, 
prayer  and  pecuniary  aid  of  the  Church  at  large  ;  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  synods  united  in 
the  direction  of  this  Seminary  to  adopt  the  following  amend- 
ment to  the  Constitution,  namely  : 

'  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  the  right  to  exercise  a 
control  over  the  Seminary,  provided  the  Assembly  accept  the 
same,  in  the  particulars  hereinafter  mentioned.'  " 

The  paper  adopted  then  goes  on  to  specify,  under  five  heads, 
the  several  particulars  in  which  this  delegated  control  shall  be 
exercised  by  the  Assembly."^" 

The  transfer  thus  proposed  was  to  be  only  a  partial  one, 
giving  to  the  General  Assembly  a  negative  or  veto  power  on 
all  appointments  to  office  and  all  rules  adopted  by  the  synods 
and  the  directors.     It  was  intended  as  a  compromise  of  views 

*  Presbyterian  Magazine,  October,  1857,  p.  476.    Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  51, 


1857-1859-     PROPOSED  TRANSFER  TO  THE  ASSEMBLY.  95 

and  as  a  peace  measure,  for  the  sake  of  uniting  and  harmoniz- 
ing existing  parties.  Brethren  stood  divided  on  the  question 
of  synodical  and  assembly  control,  some  preferring  one  and 
some  the  other.  The  amendment  contemplated  a  joint 
responsibility  and  a  joint  control  by  the  synods  and  the 
supreme  judicatory.  It  provided  for  an  annual  review  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  Board  by  the  Assembly,  and  also  for  an 
examining  committee  to  visit  the  Seminary.  One  of  the  five 
specifications  ran  in  these  words : 

*'  If  it  shall  appear  to  the  General  Assembly  that  doctrines 
contrary  to  the  standards  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  are 
inculcated  in  the  Seminary,  or  that  in  any  other  respect  it  is 
so  managed  as  to  be  injurious  to  the  interests  of  truth,  piety 
and  good  order,  the  General  Assembly  may  appoint  visitors  to 
examine  into  the  state  of  the  said  Seminary,  and  to  make  a 
full  report  thereon." 

And  it  was  still  further  provided  that,  in  case  the  General 
Assembly  became  convinced  that  any  professor  in  the  Semi- 
nary was  inculcating  doctrines  repugnant  to  the  Word  of  God 
and  to  the  Confession  of  Faith,  **  it  shall  require  the  Board  of 
Directors  to  dismiss  such  professor  and  to  appoint  another  in 
his  place."  " 

This  proposition,  however,  did  not  meet  with  the  approval 
of  the  constitutional  majority  of  the  controlling  synods.  At 
the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  held  November  17th, 
1857,  the  directors  from  the  several  synods  were  called  on  to 
state  what  action  had  been  taken  in  their  synods  on  this 
recommendation  of  the  Board  to  transfer  the  Seminary  to  the 
partial  control  of  the  General  Assembly.  It  was  found  that 
four  synods  had  agreed  to  the  recommendation  of  the  Board, 
namely,  Cincinnati,  Indiana,  Northern  Indiana  and  Iowa,  and 
that  three  synods,  namely,  Illinois,  Chicago  and  Wisconsin, 
had  recommended  that  the  Seminary  be  placed  under  the 
entire  control  of  the  General  Assembly.  It  was  therefore 
announced  by  the  president,  as  the  result  of  this  synodical 
action,  that  two-thirds  of  the  controlling  synods  (the  constitu- 
tional requisite)  not  having  adopted  the  same  plan,  no  change 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  51. 


96  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

had  been  ordered  in  the  management  of  the  Seminary.  It  was 
also  placed  on  record  that  the  Synod  of  Southern  Iowa,  which 
had  been  admitted  at  this  meeting  of  the  Board,  as  the  eighth 
controlling  synod,  recommended  that  the  Seminary  be  placed 
under  the  entire  control  of  the  General  Assembly." 

It  should  here  be  stated  that  the  Synod  of  Southern  Iowa 
having  expressed  a  desire  to  co-operate  with  the  associate 
synods  in  the  control  of  the  Seminary,  and  five  of  the  synods 
having  agreed  to  this  co-operation,  that  synod  was  admitted 
to  the  union,  and  their  delegates,  who  were  present  at  this 
meeting  of  the  Board,  signed  the  pledge  required  in  the  con- 
stitution and  took  their  seats  as  directors  of  the  Seminary. 
The  Synod  of  Missouri,  which  had  also  expressed  a  desire 
thus  to  co-operate,  and  had  even  claimed  the  right  to  do  so, 
was  not  admitted,  on  the  ground  that  the  other  synods  had  as 
yet  taken  no  action  inviting  the  co-operation  of  that  synod, 
and  that  such  admission  would  be  unconstitutional.* 

After  this  meeting  of  the  Board  much  excited  discussion 
occurred  with  regard  to  what  seemed  a  persistent  and  unjust 
exclusion  of  the  Synod  of  Missouri.  The  question,  also,  of  a 
transfer  to  the  General  Assembly  elicited  much  discussion  in 
the  Church  journals  and  came  up  for  consideration  again  in 
the  synods.  Most  of  the  synods,  however,  were  prepared  to 
go  much  further  in  the  way  of  a  complete  transfer  of  the  Semi- 
nary to  the  Assembly  than  the  action  of  the  directors  had 
contemplated.  It  began  to  be  seen  that  a  joint  management 
by  both  synodical  and  assembly  control  would  prove  cum- 
bersome and  unsatisfactory.  There  were  still  many  strong 
advocates  of  the  existing  synodical  rule,  but  it  became  more 
and  more  evident  that  the  easiest  and  perhaps  the  only  way 
out  of  the  difficulties  and  divisions  occasioned  by  the  slavery 
agitation  was  to  hand  the  institution  over  entirely  to  the 
supervision  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Accordingly  the  question  of  a  full  transfer  to  the  Assembly 
was  carried  in  the  affirmative  in  five  of  the  synods,  namely, 
Chicago,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Southern  Iowa  and  Wisconsin. 
The  Synod  of  Iowa  was  about  equally  divided,  the  casting  vote 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  71,  72,  73. 


1857-1859-     PROPOSED  TRANSFER  TO  THE  ASSEMBLY.  9/ 

having  been  given  against  Assembly  control  by  the  moderator. 
In  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati,  which  went  against  Assembly 
control,  there  was  yet  a  very  influential  minority  in  favor  of  it. 
Further  developments,  however,  occurred  during  the  succeed- 
ing year,  which  exerted  a  strong  influence  in  favor  of  Assembly 
control,  and  when  the  synods  met  again  in  1858,  all  of  them 
that  took  any  action  on  the  subject  were  found  to  be  in  favor 
of  Assembly  control.^  By  this  time  it  was  manifest  to  all 
parties  that  the  existing  conflicts  of  opinion,  which  had  seemed 
to  be  only  intensified  by  the  attempt  to  reorganize  the  Semi- 
nary, could  not  be  settled  without  the  wisdom  of  the  whole 
Church  ;  and  that  the  best  thing  that  could  be  done  was  to 
hand  over  the  whole  enterprise  to  the  Assembly,  with  the 
request  that  a  seminary  might  be  at  once  established  on  the 
same  basis  with  those  already  under  the  care  of  the  Assembly. 
The  Board  of  Directors  met  in  the  city  of  Indianapolis  on 
the  i6th  of  November,  1858,  after  the  synods  had  been  heard 
from  on  the  matter  of  the  proposed-  transfer  to  the  General 
Assembly.  The  Board  appointed  a  commit'tee  to  examine  this 
action  of  the  synods,  who  reported  the  following  paper,  which 
was  adopted  by  the  Board  : 

"  The  committee  appointed  to  consider  the  action  of  the 
synods  in  relation  to  a  proposed  change  in  the  constitution  of 
the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  so  as  to  transfer  the  control 
from  the  eight  synods  now  exercising  that  control  to  the 
General  Assembly,  would  report : 

*'  1st.  That  five  synods,  namely,  Cincinnati,  Indiana,  North- 
ern Indiana,  Chicago  and  Illinois,  have  adopted  with  great 
unanimity  the  following  paper,  viz. : 

"  'Resolved,  That  the  Constitution  of  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest  be  and  is  hereby  so  amended  that  the 
direction  of  the  Seminary,  the  right  to  determine  the  number 
of  the  directors  and  professors,  and  to  appoint  the  same,  and 
all  the  powers  which  have  heretofore  been  vested  in  the  synods, 
shall  be  and  hereby  are  transferred  to  and  vested  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  pro- 
vided that  the  direction  be  accepted  by  the  General  Assembly. 

*  Presbyterian  Expositor,  May,  1857,  p.  272, 


98  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

*"  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  be  and  it  is  hereby- 
instructed  to  invite  proposals  for  the  location  of  the  Seminary, 
and  pledges  of  funds  for  its  endowment. 

" '  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  be  and  it  is  hereby 
instructed  to  present  this  overture,  with  a  full  and  particular 
report  of  all  proposals  for  the  location  of  the  Seminary,  and 
all  pledges  of  funds  for  its  endowment,  to  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  1859. 

"'Resolved,  That  an  ofificial  copy  of  the  foregoing  resolu- 
tions be  communicated  to  the  several  presbyteries,  in  order  that 
they  may  have  the  subject  before  them  at  their  spring  meet- 
ings, and  be  prepared  to  send  commissioners  to  the  General 
Assembly  ready  to  express  their  w  ishes  before  that  body  in  the 
whole  matter. 

"  *  Resolved,  That  a  certified  copy  of  the  above  resolutions 
be  forwarded  to  the  stated  clerks  of  the  several  synods  con- 
cerned in  the  government  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  to  be  laid  before  the  said  synods,  and  that  their 
concurrence  be   and  is  hereby  requested.' 

"  2d,  That  the  Synod  of  Wisconsin  reiterated  their  action 
of  last  year,  in  which  they  voted  to  place  the  Seminary  under 
the  control  of  the  General  Assembly,  thus  virtually  adopting 
the  above  paper. 

"  3d.  That  the  two  remaining  synods,  namely,  Iowa  and 
Southern  Iowa,  took  no  action  in  the  matter. 

"  Your   committee   therefore    find    that    the   constitutional 
majority  of  the  synods  have  concurred  in  the  proposed  change." 
Professor  Stoddard  presented   the  following  paper,  which 
was  adopted  : 

"Whereas,  A  constitutional  majority  of  the  synods  having 
the  present  control  of  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  havt 
adopted  resolutions  authorizing  the  transfer  of  the  said  Semi- 
nary to  the  General  Assembly  ;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  this  Board,  in  accordance  with  the 
direction  of  a  majority  of  the  synods,  present  the  above 
overture  and  resolutions  to  the  consideration  of  the  General 
Assembly."  '^ 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  1858. 


1857-1859-     PROPOSED  TRANSFER  TO  THE  ASSEMBLY.  99 

Dr.  Robert  L.  Stanton  offered  other  resolutions,  which  were 
also  adopted,  with  a  view  to  carrying  out  the  proposed  trans- 
fer, directing  that  proposals  for  a  change  of  location  of  the 
Seminary  might  be  made  known  to  the  president  or  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Board,  and  that  all  offers  of  land,  and  pledges  of 
funds  for  the  Seminary,  should  be  made  known  to  the  same 
officers  of  the  Board,  prior  to  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Assembly  in  1859. 

It  was  in  this  form,  and  with  the  consent  of  all  parties,  that 
the  proposition  for  a  transfer  went  before  the  General  Assembly 
at  its  meeting  in  Indianapolis  in  May,  1859.  ^^  was  a  large 
and  influential  meeting  of  the  body,  containing  many  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  in  the  Church,  representing  all  parts  of 
it.  North,  South,  East  and  West.  And  this  question  of  the 
Northwestern  Seminary,  which  had  been  so  long  agitated,  and 
had  now  become  so  complicated  in  its  issues,  was  regarded  •on 
all  sides  as  one  of  the  very  deepest  importance.  What  rendered 
the  case  still  more  difficult  was  that  the  two  leading  men  of  the 
Northwestern  church,  Drs.  Rice  and  MacMaster,  both  of  them 
intimately  connected  with  the  Seminary  movement,  and  both 
members  of  this  Assembly,  now  stood  as  the  representatives  of 
two  great  parties,  seemingly  in  irreconcilable  antagonism,,  both 
on  the  Seminary  question  and  the  slavery  question. 

Each  of  these  leaders  was  a  man  of  marked  ability.  Each 
had  gifts  and  talents  sufficient  to  have  won  distinction  in  any 
profession.  They  were  widely  known  to  the  whole  Church 
and  country,  but  especially  throughout  the  Northwest,  where 
each  wielded  a  powerful  influence.  By  his  great  debate  with 
Alexander  Campbell  in  regard  to  baptism  Dr.  Rice  had  won  a 
national  reputation,  and  was  regarded  by  many  as  the  ablest 
dialectician  in  the  Church.  Dr.  MacMaster,  though  not  his 
equal  in  debate,  was  no  less  distinguished  as  a  thinker,  a  theo- 
logian and  an  instructor  of  youth.  Of  all  the  ministers  within 
the  bounds  of  the  great  Northwestern  synods,  these  two, 
because  of  their  gifts  and  learning,  were  universally  regarded 
as  the  men  best  qualified  to  fill  the  chair  of  theological  instruc- 
tion in  the  rising  seminary.  The  feeling  on  the  part  of  many 
was  that  both  gentlemen  should  have  positions  in  the  institu- 


lOO  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

tion.  But  it  soon  became  apparent  that  their  views  on  the 
slavery  problem  were  too  divergent  to  admit  of  such  associa- 
tion. 

It  seems  unfortunate  that  two  men,  so  distinguished  for 
godliness,  for  ability,  and  for  their  public  services  to  the 
Church,  should  have  been  thrown,  by  the  excitements  of  the 
time,  into  an  attitude  toward  each  other  so  antagonistic  and  at 
last  so  belligerent.  Yet,  after  all,  their  opinions  about  slavery — 
its  evils  and  its  remedy — were  not  so  very  far  apart.  Neither 
of  them  had  any  love  for  slavery.  Both  alike  saw  its  evil 
and  prayed  for  its  removal.  One  was  denounced  as  an  abo- 
litionist, the  other  as  a  slavery  propagandist.  Each,  however, 
repelled  the  charge.  Dr.  MacMaster,  in  1857,  expressly 
declared  to  the  Board  of  Directors  that  ''  he  had  never 
belonged  to  any  abolition  or  anti-slavery  society,  but  had 
always,  on  public  and  private  occasions,  expressed  his  dis- 
approval of  much  of  the  spirit  and  measures  of  those  to  whom 
the  name  abolitionists  has  been  improperly  appropriated."  * 
Dr.  Rice  was,  through  his  whole  public  life,  a  strong  emanci- 
pationist and  thorough  union  man.  He  never  ceased  to  repel 
with  indignation  the  charge  that  he  was  a  slavery  propagand- 
ist, or  a  defender  of  the  system  of  American  slavery.  Dr. 
Rice,  in  1849,  when  charged  with  ''anti-emancipation  views," 
declared  his  cordial  sympathy  with  the  emancipation  move- 
ment of  that  year  in  Kentucky,  and  said  in  a  published  letter : 
^'  I  hold  that  slavery  is  a  complicated  evil,  of  immense  magni- 
tude, the  entire  removal  of  which  from  our  country  should  be 
earnestly  and  perseveringly  sought  by  all  lawful  and  proper 
means.  It  is  an  evil  to  the  slave,  to  his  master  and  his  family, 
and  to  the  state."  f 

The  controversy  between  the  two  men  had  begun  in  1845 
in  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati,  when  they  were  both  members  of 
that  body.  Dr.  Rice  introduced  in  the  General  Assembly  of 
that  year,  and  carried  through  it,  by  a  large  majority,  his  well 
known  resolution  defining  more  clearly  the  position  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  on  the  subject  of  slavery.  It  was  at  a 
time  when  the  extreme  abolitionists  of  the  country  were  peti- 

*  Presbyterian  Magazine,  November,  1857,  p.  521. 

t  Pamphlet  on  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary,  by  N.  L,.  Rice,  1857,  p.  20. 


1857-1859.     PROPOSED  TRANSFER  TO  THE  ASSEMBLY.  lOI 

tioning  the  Assembly  to  make  a  deliverance,  which  would 
exclude  all  slave-holders  from  the  Church.  Dr.  Rice's  paper, 
which  was  adopted  by  the  Assembly,  while  distinctly  con- 
demning slavery  as  a  great  evil  and  endorsing  the  former 
deliverances  of  the  Assembly  on  that  subject,  was  to  the  effect 
that  "  this  Assembly  denies  that  slavery  is  necessarily,  under 
all  circumstances,  a  sin  per  sc,  and  therefore  refuses  to  make 
slave-holding  in  itself,  regardless  of  circumstances,  a  bar  to 
Christian  fellowship."  This  action  Dr.  MacMaster  condemned, 
and  in  the  next  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati  he  intro- 
duced an  earnest  protest  against  it.  He  considered  the  paper 
of  Dr.  Rice  **  ill-advised,  crude,  inconsistent  and  liable  to  be 
misunderstood,  both  by  slave-holders  and  abolitionists,  and 
also  by  many  good  persons  in  our  own  Church  and  in  other 
churches." 

The  breach  thus  opened  was  greatly  widened  during  the 
discussions  which  grew  out  of  the  proposed  removal  of  the 
Seminary  to  Chicago.  In  the  closing  months  of  1857,  Dr. 
Rice  felt  constrained,  as  a  matter  of  personal  vindication  and 
of  justice  to  the  cause  of  the  new  Seminary,  to  publish  a 
pamphlet  entitled  **  The  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary," 
containing  some  letters  of  a  correspondence  between  Dr.  Mac- 
Master  and  Mr.  Charles  A.  Spring,  one  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Seminary,  which  Mr.  Spring  himself  had  sub- 
mitted to  Dr.  Rice  and  which  reflected  gravely  on  the  course 
of  Dr.  MacMaster.  This  publication  had  the  effect  of  arrest- 
ing all  further  attempts  to  raise  funds  for  the  Seminary,  and 
left  its  friends  in  great  doubt  as  to  what  was  best  to  be 
done  in  view  of  a  controversy  so  personal  and  so  painful. 

Hovvever,  the  attempt  to  raise  funds  had  already  proved  a 
failure  prior  to  the  publication  of  these  letters.  A  great  finan- 
cial panic,  depressing  all  values  and  all  industries,  had  swept 
over  the  whole  country  about  this  time.  The  agents  employed 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  donations  for  the  Seminary  did  not 
raise  enough  to  pay  their  own  salaries.  The  assets  of  the  old 
Seminary  at  New  Albany  could  not  be  used  for  a  new  one  at 
Chicago,  as  most  of  the  property  there  had  been  contributed 
with  the  condition  attached  that  the  institution  should  remain 


102  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

permanently  at  New  Albany.  Yet,  while  there,  its  funds  had 
never  been  adequate  to  pay  the  professors'  salaries  in  full. 
With  the  institution  cut  ofT  from  any  further  income  from  New 
Albany,  the  professors,  on  coming  to  Chicago,  found  only 
promises  of  large  land  donations,  without  any  available  resources 
in  money  with  which  to  meet  expenses  or  even  to  open  the 
institution.  This  explains,  in  part,  the  fact  that  the  Seminary, 
after  closing  its  doors  at  New  Albany,  in  the  spring  of  1857,  ^^^ 
not  open  them  again  for  instruction  until  the  autumn  of  1859, 
when  the  new  Board  of  Directors  and  the  new  faculty, 
appointed  by  the  Assembly,  came  into  office.  There  was  thus 
a  suspension  of  instruction  for  the  two  annual  sessions  inter- 
vening between  the  spring  of  1857  and  the  autumn  of  1859. 

But  the  deeper  cause  of  this  failure  to  raise  funds  through- 
out the  churches  of  the  Northwest,  and  of  this  long  delay  in 
starting  the  new  Seminary  at  Chicago,  lay  in  the  lack  of  confi- 
dence and  cordial  co-operation  which  had  been  engendered  by 
the  agitations  and  controversies  of  the  times.  The  disclosures 
made  by  the  publication  of  Dr.  Rice's  pamphlet,  instead  of 
allaying  the  excitement,  only  increased  the  trouble  and 
deepened  the  distrust.  After  that  no  further  effort  was  made 
to  collect  funds. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  state  at  length  in  this  history  the  points 
at  issue  between  these  eminent  men.  All  who  knew  them  well 
must  concede  that  they  were  both  sincere,  upright  and  honor- 
able men.  Each  was  deeply  convinced  that  he  was  right, 
before  God  and  man,  as  regarded  slavery  agitation  and  the 
Seminary  controversy  touching  it.  When  the  pamphlet 
appeared  Dr.  Rice  was  charged  with  having  violated  the  cour- 
tesy of  private  correspondence,  in  thus  giving  to  the  public  the 
views  which  Dr.  MacMaster  had  expressed  in  letters  to  his 
friend.  He  fe.lt  himself  justified,  however,  on  the  ground  that 
the  letters  were  written  to  a  public  man,  on  vital  questions  of 
the  utmost  public  interest.  On  the  other  hand  it  was  alleged, 
and  can  scarcely  be  denied,  that  Dr.  MacMaster's  views  as 
expressed  in  these  letters  seemed  to  be  inconsistent  with  the 
statements  which  he  had  made  in  his  late  communication  to  the 
Board  of  Directors  on  the  slavery  question.     And  still  further, 


1857-1859.     PROPOSED  TRANSFER  TO  THE  ASSEMBLY.  103 

he  had  allowed  himself,  in  these  letters,  to  make  charges 
against  eminent  Presbyterian  ministers  at  the  South,  and  to 
use  epithets  of  severe  condemnation  about  their  connection 
with  slavery,  wholly  unjustified  by  the  facts. 

Without  question  the  letters  produced  a  profound  impres- 
sion on  all  who  read  them,  and  placed  Dr.  MacMaster  in  a  very 
unenviable  position  before  the  Church.  They  made  it  evident 
that  he  was  working  to  prevent  the  transfer  of  the  Seminary 
from  the  synods  to  the  General  Assembly,  on  the  ground  that, 
if  once  under  the  control  of  the  Assembly,  it  would  be  subject 
to  what  he  termed  ''the  impudent  and  offensive  domination  of 
slave-holders."  - 

Dr.  Cortlandt  Van  Rensselaer,  in  successive  numbers  of 
his  magazine,  had  spoken  words  of  encouragement  for  and 
approval  of  every  effort  to  establish  the  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Northwest.  He  had  published  in  1856  the  first  proposal 
in  favor  of  the  movement  in  a  ''circular"  signed  by  Drs.  Mac- 
Master  and  Thomas  and  fifteen  others.  In  1857,  after  the 
synods  had  fixed  upon  Chicago  as  its  location,  he  published  a 
long  and  highly  complimentary  editorial  article,  commending 
the  Seminary  to  public  confidence,  and  in  the  same  year  he 
published  Dr.  MacMaster's  letter  to  the  Board  of  Directors 
defining  his  own  position  on  the  slavery  question.  In  the  Jan- 
uary number  of  1858,  following  the  publication  of  Dr.  Rice's 
pamphlet,  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer  published  a  brief  editorial  notice 
of  the  Seminary,  in  which  he  used  the  following  words:  "The 
prospects  of  this  institution  are  now  darker  than  ever,  but  prob- 
ably on  the  principle  that  the  darkest  hour  is  just  before  the 
dawn.  The  letters  of  Dr.  MacMaster  which  have  been  pub- 
lished in  Dr.  Rice's  pamphlet,  will  destroy  his  influence  and 
usefulness  in  the  Presbyterian  Church."  • 

Nevertheless,  as  subsequent  events  proved,  Dr.  MacMaster 
was  too  eminent  a  man,  and  one  too  true  to  all  his  convictions 
of  right  and  duty,  to  have  his  influence  and  usefulness  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church  thus  ended.  The  friends  who  knew  him 
best  never  lost  confidence  in  his  integrity,  and  never  deserted 
him.      One  of  the  last  acts  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  before 

*  Pamphlet  on  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary,  1857,  p.  17. 


104  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

handing  over  the  Seminary  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1859, 
was  to  bear  witness  to  his  high  integrity  and  his  faithful  ser- 
vices. At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  Indianapolis,  which 
was  the  last  it  ever  held,  in  May,  1859,  j^^t  before  the  meeting 
of  the  General  Assembly,  Dr.  MacMaster  tendered  to  the 
Board  his  resignation  of  the  chair  of  theology  which  he  held  in 
the  Seminary,  under  a  conviction  that  a  transfer  to  the  General 
Assembly  would  vacate  the  chairs'of  instruction.  The  Board 
accepted  this  view,  and  passed  the  following  minute : 

"  Resolved,  That  this  Board,  in  coinciding  with  Dr.  Mac- 
Master  in  his  conviction,  desire  cordially  to  express  at  the 
same  time  their  continued  confidence  in  the  Christian  integrity, 
pre-eminent  ability,  untiring  devotion  and  self-sacrificing  spirit 
of  Dr.  MacMaster  in  their  service." 

Dr.  Van  Rensselaer  was  a  fair  minded  and  honorable  man,  and 
his  opinions,  backed  by  his  well-known  character  for  fairness 
and  moderation,  had-great  weight  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
but  no  candid  man  can  now  read  the  letters  to  which  he  refers 
in  the  words  quoted  above  without  feeling  that  the  judgment 
which  he  pronounced  against  Dr.  MacMaster,  based  upon 
those  letters,  was  an  extreme  one.  Both  he  and  Dr.  Rice 
attached  to  them  an  animus  and  an  importance,  as  defining  Dr. 
MacMaster's  position,  and  as  injuring  his  character  and  influ- 
ence in  the  Church,  which  the  statements  in  the  letters  did  not 
justify  at  the  time,  and  which  the  stern  logic  of  subsequent 
events  showed  to  be  unwarranted.  The  strictures  of  Dr.  Van 
Rensselaer  were  replied  to  at  the  time  by  an  able  writer  in 
*'  The  Presbyterian  of  the  West,"  a  director  of  the  Seminary, 
who  maintained  that  Dr.  MacMaster's  intention  in  writing  these 
letters  was  not  to  found  an  anti-slavery  seminary  at  Chicago,  but 
simply  to  put  the  friends  of  the  Seminary  ''  on  their  guard 
against  the  encroachments  of  slavery  and  the  new  doctrines 
promulgated  in  its  defence  at  the  South."  Says  the  writer: 
'*  What  he  definitely  proposes  in  these  le.tters,  touching  the 
Seminary,  is  to  put  it  in  an  attitude  of  defence  against  these 
manifest  aggressions.  It  is  simply  a  defensive  proposition, 
nothing  more.  Whether  wise  or  unwise,  this  is  all  that  can  be 
made  out  of  it.     There  is  nothing  in  these  letters  which  states, 


1857-1^59-     PROPOSED  TRA^ISFER  TO  THE  ASSEMBLY.  105 

hints,  or  surmises,  that  Dr.  MacMaster  wishes  to  make  the 
Chicago  Seminary  a  propagandist  of  anti-slavery  sentiments. 
On  the  contrary.  Dr.  MacMaster  explicitly  states  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  friends  of  the  Seminary  to  go  forward  with  the 
greatest  vigor  possible  for  the  accomplishment  of  that  which  is 
its  main  object,  and  which  infinitely  transcends  all  side  issues 
and  subordinate  questions,  meeting  this  question  of  slavery 
frankly,  kindly,  reasonably,  where  it  is  forced  upon  us."* 

It  is  not  to  be  denied,  however,  that  the  result  as  fore- 
shadowed by  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer,  did  in  part  follow  as  regards 
the  reputation  and  usefulness  of  Dr.  MacMaster.  But  it  was 
only  for  a  season.  Right  or  wrong,  he  was  for  a  time  laid 
aside  from  a  position  which  all  his  friends  and  pupils  through- 
out the  Northwestern  synods  felt  that  he  was  eminently  quali- 
fied to  fill.  It  was  on  all  sides  a  painful  controversy,  and 
much  to  be  deplored.  It  was  between  friends  and  brethren  of 
the  same  church,  who  were  equally  loyal  to  the  truth  and 
to  their  deepest  convictions  of  duty.  At  this  distance  of  time 
the  whole  matter  but  serves  to  illustrate  how  great  and  good 
men,  in  a  season  of  intense  public  excitement  and  conflict, 
may  be  led  into  an  exaggerated  and  intolerant  condemnation 
of  each  other's  opinions,  not  warranted  by  a  cooler  judgment 
and  the  verdict  of  impartial  history. 

After  the  painful  conflicts  through  which  they  had  passed, 
all  parties  had  come  to  be  pretty  well  agreed  that  a  final 
appeal  should  be  made  to  the  supreme  tribunal  of  the  Church, 
as  the  easiest  way  to  settle  the  question  of  the  Northwestern 
Seminary.  The  long  struggle  had  brought  the  majority  of 
loyal  Presbyterians  to  see  that  Assembly  control  would  be  the 
true  policy,  and  that  the  Assembly's  decision  ought  to  end  the 
controversy. 

*  Cyril,  in  "Presbyterian  of  the  West,"  1858, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY. 

1859. 


Mr.  McCormick's  Offer  to  the  Assembly  of  1859.  Its  Influence  on  that 
Body.  Character  of  the  Assembly,  Mr.  McCormick's  Character  and  Posi- 
tion. His  Views  in  Making  this  Donation.  His  Letter  Proposing  it.  Other 
Offers  to  the  Assembly.  Two  Locations  Proposed.  Various  Tenders  of 
Land  and  Money.  Last  Meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Its  Action  on 
the  Transfer  to  the  Assembly.  Action  of  the  Synods.  Papers  Laid  before 
the  Assembly.  Resolutions  Accepting  Mr.  McCormick's  Proposal.  Vote  of 
Thanks.  Drs.  Rice  and  MacMaster.  Election  of  Four  Professors.  New 
Board  of  Directors  Appointed.  Importance  of  the  Assembly's  Action. 
Unanimity  on  the  Final  Decision.  How  Received  by  the  Church.  Opinions 
of  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer  and  Dr.  Hodge.  Mr.  McCormick  and  Dr.  Rice.  Dr. 
MacMaster's  Speech  in  the  Assembly,  Severely  Criticised  and  Condemned. 
His  Able  Vindication, 


The  year  1859  fonried  a  turning  point  in  the  history  of  the 
Seminary.  The  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  Indian- 
apolis that  year  ended  the  long  discussion,  and  gave  the  hith- 
erto struggling  institution  a  wider  field,  a  new  departure  and  a 
reinvigorated  life.  It  secured  at  once  two  of  the  essential 
factors  of  success,  which  had  been  so  long  needed,  a  proper 
location  and  a  sure  financial  basis.  The  Assembly  fixed  upon 
the  one  geographical  position  which,  above  all  others,  was 
most  central  and  convenient  to  the  churches  of  the  Northwest, 
and  it  secured  an  endowment  so  large  and  so  permanent  that 
the  institution  could  start  upon  its  new  career  with  a  full  fac- 
ulty of  instruction.  This  placed  it  upon  a  footing  as  sure  as 
that  of  any  of  the  older  institutions  of  the  Church, 

The  unusual  offer  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the 
endowment   of   four   professorships,   made   by   Mr,  Cyrus   H. 

106 


REV.   LEROY  J.   HALSEY,   D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


1859.         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  107 

McCormick,  of  Chicago,  did  much  to  bring  about  this  result. 
Unquestionably  other  facts  and  other  agencies  contributed 
their  strong  influences  to  the  same  end.  But  the  solid,  busi- 
ness-like form  in  which  this  large  endowment  came  was  note- 
worthy. The  fact  that  it  came  from  a  citizen  of  Chicago  who, 
from  long  residence,  was  well  acquainted  with  the  city  and  the 
countr}^  and  who  was  known  to  be  in  thorough  sympathy  with 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  with  all  the  great  mercantile, 
educational  and  religious  interests  of  the  Northwest,  could 
not  fail  to  produce  a  profound  impression  on  the  mind  of  the 
Assembly. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  his  home  was 
now  in  the  Northwest,  and  he  was  fully  identified  with  all  its 
growing  interests.  He  held  broad,  conservative  views  as  to 
the  preservation  of  the  national  union  and  the  integrity  of  the 
whole  country,  North,  South,  East  and  West.  He  looked 
upon  the  disunion  of  the  states  in  any  form  as  an  untold 
calamity.  He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and 
in  the  wisdom  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  looked  upon 
this  church  as  a  great  educational  power  in  the  land.  It  was 
among  his  settled  convictions  that  the  building  up  of  a  theo- 
logical school  at  Chicago,  for  the  training  of  a  gospel  min- 
istry according  to  the  standards  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
would  be  a  source  of  incalculable  blessing  for  all  time  to  come, 
not  alone  to  Chicago  and  the  Northwest,  but  to  the  whole 
united  and  christianized  nation. 

In  making  his  proposition  to  the  Assembly,  Mr.  McCor- 
mick was  actuated  by  the  double  motive  of  Christian  patriot- 
ism and  Presbyterian  loyalty.  He  was  a  man  of  remarkable 
business  activity  and  enterprise.  He  was  at  this  time  still  in 
the  meridian  vigor  of  life.  He  had  already  accumulated  at 
Chicago  a  large  fortune  by  the  manufacture  of  the  famous 
reaper  of  which  he  was  the  inventor.  Through  this  great 
invention  his  name  had  become  familiar,  not  only  to  our  own 
country,  but  to  the  whole  agricultural  world.  Thus  far  no 
theological  seminary  in  our  land  had  ever  received  so  large  a 
benefaction  from  any  one  individual.  The  sole  condition  of 
the  gift  was  that  the  Seminary  should  be  established  within  or 


I08  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

near  the  city  of  Chicago.  However,  the  existing  Board  of 
Directors  at  Chicago,  and  each  of  the  controlHng  synods,  had 
already  decided  that  Chicago  was  the  best  place  in  all  the 
Northwest  for  it.  Under  these  favorable  circumstances  Mr. 
McCormick's  liberal  proposal  was  made  to  the  body  which  so 
well  represented  the  intelligence  of  the  Old  School  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  the  whole  country. 

Several  different  overtures  in  reference  to  the  location  and 
the  endowment  of  the  Seminary  came  before  the  Assembly  of 
1859.  The  Board  of  Directors  held  its  last  sessions  in  May, 
1859,  ^"  th^  ^^ty  ^^  Indianapolis,  only  a  few  days  prior  to  the 
meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  the  same  city.  These 
overtures  all  came  first  before  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  were, 
by  order  of.  that  body,  presented  to  the  Assembly  by  its  presi- 
dent, Dr.  Samuel  T.  Wilson,  May  21st,  1859. 

Among  the  papers  thus  presented  was  a  letter  from  Mr. 
McCormick  to  the  General  Assembly,  which  is  as  follows : 

'^Washington,  D.  C,  May  13th,  1859. 

*'  Whereas,  at  the  approaching  meeting  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Indianapolis,  Ind., 
(on  the  19th  inst.)  it  is  proposed  that  the  said  General  Assem- 
bly shall  take  the  charge  and  control  of  a  theological  seminary 
proposed  to  be  established  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the 
Northwestern  portion  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  select  a  site 
for  the  location  of  the  same,  and  appoint  a  time  for  opening  it; 
''  Now%  therefore,  regarding,  as  I  do,  this  proposed  enterprise 
as  of  the  greatest  importance  not  only  to  the  religious,  but  also 
to  the  general  interests  of  the  country;  and  being  desirous  of 
securing  for  it  such  assistance  as  I  may  now  have  the  means 
and  the  privilege  of  giving,  I  hereby  covenant  and  agree  as 
follows,  viz.  : 

**  Provided  that  the  said  General  Assembly  shall  at  its  next 
meeting  (during  this  month)  take  charge  of  said  theological 
seminary  as  aforesaid,  and  locate  or  provide  for  the  location 
of  it  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  or  at  the  most  eligible  locality  that  can  be  had  within 
one  and  a  half  miles  from  said  city  limits ;  and  provided  that 
the  donation  hereinafter  offered  shall  be  applied  exclusively  to 


1859-         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  IO9 

the  endowment  of  professorships  in  said  seminary ;  I  bind 
myself,  my  heirs,  etc.,  to  pay  to  the  directors,  or  properly 
authorized  agents  of  said  seminary,  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  ($100,000),  to  be  paid  on  the  following  terms 
and  conditions,  viz.:  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  ($25,000) 
for  each  professor  of  said  seminary,  appointed  or  elected  by 
the  said  General  Assembly  ;  and  payable  in  four  equal  annual 
installments,  with  six  per  cent,  interest  until  paid,  the  first  of 
which  is  to  be  due  and  payable  one  year  after  the  opening  of 
said  seminary  ;  with  the  privilege  of  paying  the  principal  at 
any  time  in  advance  of  being  due,  if  so  preferred  by  me  or  my 
heirs.     As  witness  my  hand  the  date  first  above  written. 

(Signed)    C.  H.  McCormick." 

The  Board  also  received,  and  laid  before  the  Assembly,  the 
written  agreements  of  seven  gentlemen,  all  citizens  of  Chicago, 
Wm.  J.  Morton,  H.  H.  Honore,  John  H.  Foster,  S.  W. 
Jewett,  A.  Dowth,  T.  B.  Carter,  and  David  S.  Lee,  "to 
donate  forty-five  acres  of  land,  in  six  different  parcels,  but  all 
lying  within  one  mile  and  a  half  of  the  city  limits  of  Chicago, 
to  the  Old  School  Presbyterian  General  Assembly  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  use  and  maintenance  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  to  be  appointed  and  controlled  by 
the  General  Assembly,  which  donation  is  made  on  the  express 
condition  that  the  Assembly  locate  and  build  said  Seminary 
in  the  central  part  of  section  11,  town  39,  range  13,  east  3  P. 
M.,  north  of  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad — being  a 
part  of  the  land  donated — within  two  years,  and  that  said 
Seminary  and  adjunct  buildings  shall  cost  not  less  than  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  that  it  shall  be  permanently  located 
there." 

But,  at  the  General  Assembly,  Chicago  had  in  Indianapolis 
a  strong  competitor  for  the  new  location  of  the  Seminary.  As 
there  had  not  been  for  several  years  previous  to  Mr.  McCor- 
mick's  offer  any  practical  progress  made  in  the  real  establish- 
ment of  the  Seminary  at  Chicago,  even  after  fixing  on  that 
city  as  the  fitting  site,  all  the  efforts  to  build  at  Hyde  Park 
having  failed  for  lack  of  money,  and  all  the  liberal  offers  of 
land  having  lapsed  through  the  long  delay,  the  old  friends  of 


no  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

the  Seminary  began  to  rally  around  the  growing  and  beauti- 
ful capital  of  Indiana,  as  after  all  the  better  locality.  They 
clung  with  a  strong  paternal  feeling  to  the  Seminary  as  their 
own  child.  They  did  not  like  to  see  it  taken  from  its  native 
state.  Having  originated  there,  and  already  had  two  homes 
there,  it  seemed  to  belong  to  the  state.  So,  after  the  apparent 
failure  to  effect  its  establishment  at  Chicago,  these  early 
friends  in  Indiana  and  Ohio  made  a  concerted  effort  to  induce 
the  Assembly  to  fix  it  permanently  at  Indianapolis. 

Accordingly  when  the  Assembly  met  in  Indianapolis  the 
Board  of  Directors  had  already  received  from  Rev.  William  A. 
Holliday,  of  that  city,  the  offer  of  one  acre  of  land,  being  lots 
lo,  II  and  12  of  square  i8  in  the  city,  on  the  condition  that 
the  Seminary  be  located  permanently  on  that  site,  the  land 
being  valued  at  that  time  at  $[0,ooo.  Accompanying  this  offer 
of  an  eligible  site,  there  was  a  paper  signed  by  a  large  number 
of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Indiana,  pledging  themselves,  in 
sums  set  opposite  their  names,  to  the  amount  of  $25,000,  for 
the  erection  of  buildings  on  the  donated  site,  and  payable  in 
five  equal  annual  installments  commencing  one  year  from  the 
date  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  Board  had  also  received  a  paper  dated  May  19,  1859, 
and  signed  by  twenty-four  ministers  and  ruling  elders  belong- 
ing to  the  Synod  of  Indiana  and  part  of  the  Synod  of  Illinois 
—  a  number  of  them  commissioners  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  1859  —  pledging  those  synods  to  raise  $25,000  towards  the 
endowment  of  professorships,  "  if  the  General  Assembly  shall, 
at  its  present  session,  accept  the  direction  of  said  Seminary  and 
locate  it  in  or  near  the  city  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  shall 
take  the  steps  necessary  for  its  complete  organization  at  the 
earliest  day  practicable  ;  interest  at  ten  per  cent,  per  annum  to 
be  paid  on  said  sum  semi-annually  at  Indianapolis,  until  the 
principal  thereof  is  paid,  and  to  commence  at  the  date  of  the 
opening  of  the  Seminary  for  students."  To  this  was  added 
the  concurring  signature  of  the  pastor  of  the  Fort  Wayne  Pres- 
byterian church.  Rev.  John  M.  Lowrie,  who  pledged  his  own 
church  for  the  sum  of  $6,000,  already  secured  and  available 
for  that  end. 


1859.         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  Ill 

Besides  these  offers  of  land  and  money  from  Chicago,  and 
from  Indianapolis  and  the  synods,  the  Board  had  also  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany  to  offer  to  the  Assembly. 
The  Seminary's  whole  assets  were  estimated  at  $39,430,  with 
an  indebtedness  of  $5,241.  But  $25,000  of  the  assets  consisted 
of  reg,l  estate  and  buildings  at  New  Albany,  which,  by  stipula- 
tion of  the  donors,  were  conditioned  on  the  Seminary's 
remaining  at  that  place,  leaving  only  the  sum  of  $14,430  to 
be  transferred  to  the  Assembly  in  case  the  choice  fell  on  some 
other  place. 

The  Board  of  Directors  took  its  final  action  on  the  20th  of 
May,  1859,  when  it  ordered  that  a  schedule  of  all  these  offers 
of  endowment,  a  list  of  the  property  at  New  Albany  belonging 
to  the  Seminary,  a  statement  of  the  action  of  the  controlling 
synods  ordering  the  transfer,  with  the  records  of  the  Board 
itself,  be  laid  before  the  General  Assembly  by  the  president  of 
the  Board  on  the  day  following,  accompanied  by  the  following 
paper: 
'*  To  the  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  : 

"  The  Board  of  Directors  of  The  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  hereby  present  to  the  General 
Assembly,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  synods 
they  represent,  an  overture,  proposing  a  transfer  of  the  said 
Seminary  by  the  several  synods  concerned  in  its  control  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States,  as  follows,  namely  : 

'  Resolved,  That  the  constitution  of  The  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest  be,  and  is  hereby  so 
amended  that  the  direction  of  the  Seminary,  the  right  to 
determine  the  number  of  directors  and  professors,  and  to 
appoint  the  same,  and  all  the  powers  which  have  heretofore 
been  vested  in  the  synods,  shall  be,  and  hereby  are  transferred 
to  and  vested  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States,  provided  that  this  direction  be 
accepted  by  the  Assembly.' 

"  In  order  to  represent  the  matter  fully  and  clearly  to  the 
General  Assembly,  the  Board  herewith  submit  all  the  papers 


112  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

contemplated  in  the  resolutions  proposing  the  said  transfer,  as 
will  appear  by  the  accompanying  schedule. 

By  order  of  the  Board. 

(Signed)     S.  T.  Wilson,  President. 

R.  L.  Stanton,  Secretary." 

Indianapolis,  May  20,  1859.^' 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here,  as  showing  tjie  intimate 
ecclesiastical  connection  between  the  old  and  the  new  regime 
in  the  life  of  the  Seminary,  that,  when  the  synodical  Board  met 
for  the  last  time  on  the  20th  of  May,  1859,  ^^^^y  ^^^  ^^Y  ^^^^^ 
the  opening  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  ordered  "  That  the 
ofTer  of  transfer  be  made  to  the  General  Assembly  during  its 
session  to-morrow  morning,"  it  then  passed  a  final  resolution 
providing  conditionally  for  its  own  dissolution  in  the  following 
words : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Board  now  adjourn  to  meet  on 
Wednesday  evening  next  at  seven  o'clock  in  case  the  General 
Assembly  decline  to  accept  the  offer  of  transfer  of  the  Semi- 
nary ;  and,  in  the  event  of  the  transfer  being  accepted,  that  the 
Board  stand  adjourned  sine  die." 

The  meeting  was  then  closed  with  prayer. 

The  statement  of  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and 
all  the  accompanying  documents  were  presented  by  its  presi- 
dent to  the  General  Assembly  on  the  21st  of  May,  1859,  ^^^» 
on  motion  of  Dr.  Stanton,  were  referred  to  the  committee  on 
theological  seminaries,  of  which  Dr.  B.  M.  Palmer,  of  New 
Orleans,  was  chairman.  On  Monday,  May  23,  Dr.  Palmer 
read  the  following  report : 

*'  The  committee  on  theological  seminaries,  to  which  were 
referred  certain  papers  touching  the  proposed  transfer  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west, beg  leave  to  report  that,  upon  examination,  these  papers 
are  found  to  be: 

"  I.  An  overture  from  the  Board  of  Directors  of  said  Semi- 
nary, proposing  a  transfer  of  the  same  from  the  several  synods 
united  in  its  control  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  States. 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  105. 


1859.         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  II3 

''  2.  Papers  detailing  the  action  of  eight  synods,  viz.,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Indiana,  Northern  Indiana,  lUinois,  Chicago,  Wiscon- 
sin, Iowa  and  Southern  Iowa,  authorizing  the  above  mentioned 
transfer,  and  instructing  the  Board  of  Directors  to  present  the 
overture  touching  the  matter  to  this  General  Assembly. 

''  3.  Two  printed  documents,  being  the  Constitution  of  the 
Northwestern  Theological  Seminary  and  the  Act  of  Incorpo- 
ration by  the  General  Assembly  of  Illinois. 

"  4.  Certain  papers  stating  the  opinions  and  wishes  of 
twenty-nine  presbyteries  in  connection  with  these  eight  synods. 

"5.  A  statement  of  the  assets  of  the  New  Albany  Theo- 
logical Seminary  now  in  possession  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  that  institution. 

"  6.  Papers  containing  proposals  for  the  endowment  of  the 
Seminary,  upon  the  condition  of  its  acceptance  by  this  Assem- 
bly and  location  at  Chicago  or  Indianapolis,  respectively. 

"  7.  A  statement  of  the  present  indebtedness  of  the  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest. 

"  These  papers  have  been  carefully  considered  by  the  com- 
mittee,'and  their  contents  may  be  briefly  stated.  Of  the  eight 
confederated  synods,  five,  viz.,  Cincinnati,  Chicago,  Indiana, 
Northern  Indiana  and  Illinois,  urge  the  transfer  simpliciter, 
without  any  opinion  or  desire  expressed  upon  any  matter  con- 
nected with  it.  Two  synods,  viz.,  Wisconsin  and  Southern 
Iowa,  connect  with  this  transfer  a  request  that  professors  shall 
not  be  chosen  till  there  is  a  sufftcient  endowment  to  warrant  it. 
And  one  synod,  viz.,  that  of  Iowa,  in  a  paper,  from  its  abridg- 
ment not  perfectly  clear  to  the  committee,  seems  to  desire  that 
the  Assembly  shall  exercise  only  a  negative  control  over  the 
appointments  of  the  Seminary. 

''  It  is  clear,  however,  that  all  these  synods,  except  perhaps 
the  last,  desire  the  Assembly  during  the  present  session  to 
accept  the  direction  of  the  Seminary,  and  to  hold  and  exercise 
all  powers  at  present  vested  in  themselves. 

*'  As  to  the  financial  condition  of  the  institution  now  offered 
to  this  Assembly,  it  claims  the  assets  of  the  New  Albany 
Theological  Seminary,  amounting  in  all  to  $39,430,  which  the 
trustees  of  that   institution  seem  authorized  to  transfer.     Of 


114  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

this  amount,  however,  the  sum  of  $25,000  is  not  at  the  disposal 
of  the  trustees,  but  is  acknowledged  to  be  in  the  control  of  the 
General  Assembly,  and  which  it  is  hoped  the  Assembly  will 
put  to  the  service  of  this  institution,  it  having  been  originally 
contributed  for  theological  education  in  the  West.  In  the 
judgment  of  the  committee  the  wishes  of  the  donor  may 
be  easily  ascertained,  and  should  be  decisive  upon  this  point. 
Against  the  remaining  $14,430  must  be  placed  a  debt,  incurred 
by  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  of  $5,241,  which  the  Board 
has  ordered  to  be  paid  out  of  the  assets  of  the  New  Albany 
institution  in  the  hands  of  its  trustees. 

"  Should  the  Assembly  agree  to  accept  the  donation  and 
control  of  this  Seminary,  in  accordance  with  the  overture 
of  these  eight  synods,  two  distinct  proposals  are  rnade  looking 
to  its  endowment.  On  the  one  hand,  if  Chicago  shall  be 
selected  as  the  seat  of  the  new  institution,  Mr.  C.  H.  McCor- 
mick  gives  his  written  obligation  to  pay  to  the  directors  who 
shall  be  appointed  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
payable  in  four  annual  installments,  and  drawing  six  per  cent, 
from  the  opening  of  the  Seminary;  that  is  to  say  $25,000  for 
each  professor  whom  this  Assembly  shall  appoint  in  the  same. 
In  addition  to  this  promise  of  Mr.  McCormick,  and  upon  the 
condition  that  within  the  period  of  two  years  buildings  costing 
not  less  than  $50,000  shall  be  erected  upon  a  designated  site, 
certain  persons  make  a  grant  of  forty-five  acres  of  land,  defi- 
nitely located,*  the  market  value  of  which  is  not  stated. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  if  Indianapolis  shall  be  selected  for  its 
location,  certain  persons  connected  with  the  synods  of  Indiana, 
Northern  Indiana  and  a  part  of  the  Synod  of  Illinois,  pledge 
the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  toward  the  endow- 
ment, drawing  six  per  cent  interest  from  the  opening  of 
the  institution.  Also  $25,000  more  is  subscribed  by  citizens 
of  Indianapolis  for  the  erection  of  suitable  buildings  on  a  site 
given  by  Rev.  W.  A.  Holliday,  which  is  itself  valued  at 
$10,000.  In  addition  to  these  two  amounts,  there  appears  to 
be  a  reliable  subscription  of  $6,000  in  another  place,  making  a 
total  of  money  subscribed  and  grants  of  land  of  about  $66,000. 

"  Upon  a  deliberate  survey  of  all  the  facts  thus  comprehen- 


1859.         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  II5 

sively  stated,  and  in  view  of  the  promise  given  of  an  early- 
endowment  of  the  institution,  and  especially  in  view  of  the 
unanimity  and  earnestness  with  which  so  large  a  portion  of  the 
Church  as  that  represented  by  eight  distinct  synods  express 
their  conviction  of  the  need  of  a  theological  seminary  of  high 
order  in  the  Northwest,  your  committee  unanimously  concur 
in  recommending  the  two  following  resolutions  to  the  General 
Assembly.  ^ 

"  1st.  Resolved,  That  in  accordance  with  the  overtures  ema- 
nating from  eight  synods  this  Assembly  does  now  accept  the 
direction  and  control  of  the  seminary  known  by  the  corporate 
name  and  style  of  The  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest. 

^'  2d.  Resolved,  That  this  Assembly,  during  its  present  ses- 
sions, will  decide  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  its  members 
what  place  within  the  limits  of  these  eight  synods  shall  be 
selected  as  the  seat  of  said -Seminary." 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted. f 

On  motion  of  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice  it  was  resolved  to  proceed 
to  the  choice  of  a  location.  Dr.  Rice  nominated  Chicago ; 
William  Sheets,  a  ruling  elder,  nominated  Indianapolis.  A 
discussion  arose  on  these  nominations,  which  continued  until 
the  regular  adjournment  for  the  day. 

The  discussion  as  to  the  location  of  the  Seminary  was 
resumed  on  the  next  day,  and  continued  at  intervals  until  the 
afternoon  of  Thursday,  May  26th,  when,  the  previous  question 
being  moved,  it  was  arrested,  and  the  vote  .was  taken.  The 
roll  was  called  and  the  names  of  voters  recorded.  The  vote 
stood,  for  Chicago,  two  hundred  and  forty-three;  for  Indiana- 
poHs,  seventy ;  not  voting,  two.  The  next  day  nine  members 
who  had  been  absent  when  the  vote  was  taken  were  permitted 
to  record  their  names,  making  the  total  vote  two  hundred  and 
fifty-one  for  Chicago  and  seventy-one  for  Indianapolis. 4: 

On  Friday,  the  27th  of  May,  Dr.  Palmer,  chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Seminaries,  reported  the  following  resolutions, 
which  were  adopted  : 

*  Biblical  Repertory  for  July,  1859,  pp.  582-585. 
t  Minutes  of  Gtneral  Assembly  of  1859,  P-  5i7- 
j  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1859. 


ii6  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

'*  Resolved,  ist.  That  this  General  Assembly  does  hereby 
accept  the  donation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  made 
by  Mr.  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  to  them,  for  the  endowment  of 
four  professorships  in  The  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Northwest  about  to  be  established  by  this  Assembly, 
upon  the  terms  and  conditions  therein  mentioned. 

"  Resolved,  2d.  That  the  thanks  of  this  General  Assembly 
be  tendered  Mr.  C.  H.  McCormick  for  his  munificent  donation, 
and  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted  to  Mr. 
McCormick  by  the  stated  clerk. 

"  Resolved,  3d.  That  the  offer  of  forty-five  acres  of  land  from 
other  gentlemen  of  Chicago,  under  certain  specified  conditions, 
together  with  all  similar  offers,  be  referred  to  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors to  be  elected,  to  be  accepted  or  not,  at  their  discretion. 

"The  following  constitution  is  submitted  by  the  committee 
for  the  government  of  the  Seminary,  based  as  much  as  possible 
upon  the  old  constitution,  with  only  such  changes  as  are  neces- 
sitated by  the  transfer  of  the  control  of  said  Seminary  from 
the  synods  to  the  Assembly.  This  constitution^  is  understood 
to  be  very  similar  to  those  of  the  seminaries  at  Princeton, 
Allegheny  and  Danville.  With  a  view  to  securing  such  amend- 
ments to  the  charter  as  may  be  required  by  this  change  in  the 
direction  and  control  of  this  Seminary,  the  committee  submit 
to  the  Assembly  the  following  resolution  : 

"  Resolved,  4th.  That  the  Board  of  Directors  of  said  Semi- 
nary, for  whose  appointment  provision  is  made  in  the  constitu- 
tion herewith  submitted,  be  and  they  are  hereby  directed  to 
take  such  measures  as  may  be  found  proper  and  expedient  to 
procure  the  legal  transfer  and  safe  investment  of  all  the  pro- 
perty of  said  Seminary,  and  for  that  purpose  to  procure  from 
the  legislature  of  Illinois  such  legislation  as  may  be  necessary 
to  effect  this  object." 

This  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly,  as 
was  also  the  following : 

''Resolved,  5th.  That  it  be  the  first  order  of  the  day  for 
Monday  afternoon  to  elect  professors  to  fill  the  four  chairs  in 
the  Seminary."  f 

*See  Appendix  E.       t  Minutes  of  General  Assembly,  1859  ;  Princeton  Review,  1859. 


1859-         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  II7 

Nominations  were  then  made  for  each  of  the  chairs,  a  large 
number  of  persons  being  named  for  each,  and  it  was  voted 
that  it  be  in  order  to  receive  nominations  up  to  the  hour  of 
election.  It  was  also  resolved  ''That  immediately  after  the 
election'of  professors  on  Monday  next  the  Assembly  proceed 
to  elect  directors  of  this  institution.''  Nominations  were  accord- 
ingly made  for  this  election.  Prayer  was  then  offered  by  the 
moderator,  Rev.  William  L.  Breckenridge,  D.D. 

A  special  committee,  appointed  to  adjust  the  chairs  for  the 
institution,  consisting  of  Drs.  B.  M.  Smith,  E.  P.  Humphrey, 
J.  H.  Thornwell,  S.  J.  Wilson  and  A.  T.  McGill,  reported  the 
fallowing  arrangement,  which  was  adopted,  viz.: 

I.  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology.  2.  Biblical  and  Eccle- 
siastical History.  3.  Historical  and  Pastoral  Theology  and 
Church  Government.     4.   Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis. 

The  constitution  of  the  Seminary  was  then  read  and 
adopted. 

When  the  order  of  the  day  for  Monday  afternoon,  the 
election  of  professors  in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  was  called,  Dr.  E.  D.  MacMaster  rose  and  moved 
that  this  business  be  postponed  until  the  meeting  of  the  next 
General  Assembly.  The  remaining  time  of  the  afternoon  was 
occupied  with  an  elaborate  discussion  of  this  motion  of  Dr. 
MacMaster,  Dr.  Rice  having  the  floor  when  the  body 
adjourned  for  the  evening  session.  At  the  evening  session  Dr. 
Rice  finished  his  remarks  in  opposition  to  the  postponement, 
the  motion  of  Dr.  MacMaster  was  laid  on  the  table,  and  the 
Assembly  proceeded  to  the  election  of  professors  by  ballot. 

The  vote  for  the  first  chair  stood,  214  for  Dr.  Rice,  45  for 
Dr.  MacMaster,  15  scattering  and  3  blank.  Rev.  Nathan  L. 
Rice,  D.D.,  of  Chicago,  111.,  w^as  accordingly  declared  duly 
elected  professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

The  vote  for  the  second  chair  stood,  218  for  Dr.  Willis 
Lord,  23  for  Rev.  J.  C.  Moffat,  D.D.,  29  scattering  and  5 
blank.  Rev.  Willis  Lord,  D.D.,  of  Cincinnati,  O.,  was  declared 
elected  professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History; 
whereupon  the  Assembly  adjourned. 


Ii8 


HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 


The  Assembly  met  the  next  morning  and  the  election  of 
professors  was  resumed. 

The  vote  for  the  third  chair  stood,  206  for  Rev.  Le  Roy  J. 
Halsey,  D.D.,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  41  scattering  and  7  blank. 
Dr.  Halsey  was  accordingly  declared  duly  elected  prof^sor  of 
Historical   and  Pastoral   Theology   and  Church    Government. 

The  vote  for  the  fourth  chair  stood,  165  for  Rev.  William  M. 
Scott,  D.D.,  of  Cincinnati,  O.,  45  for  Rev.  J.  F.  McLaren, 
D.D.,  31  scattering  and  4  blank,  and  Dr.  Scott  was  declared 
elected  professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis. 

Each  professor  was  elected  by  a  large  majority,  ranging 
from  two  to  one  up  to  five  to  one,  over  all  other  nominees  for 
the  same  chair. 

The  Assembly  then  proceeded,  on  motion  of  Rev.  Joshua 
Phelps,  D.D.,  to  complete  the  organization  of  the  Seminary, 
by  the  election  of  a  new  Board  of  Directors,  consisting  of  forty 
members,  ministers  and  ruling  elders.  The  election  resulted 
in  the  following"  named  gentlemen  beine  chosen  : 


Ministers. 

John  H.  Brown, 
D.  Stevenson, 
S.  J.  P.  Anderson, 
N.  West,  Jr., 
C.  Axtell. 

J.  C.  Brown, 

J.  M.  F'aris. 

J.  M.  Lowrie, 

Henry  Neill, 

T.  M.  Cunningham. 


For  One  Year. 


For  Two  Years. 


For  Three  Years. 


S.  T.  Wilson, 
J.  M.  Buchanan, 
F.  N.  Ewing, 
J.  P.  Conkey, 
Samuel  Steele. 


Ruling  Elders. 

H.  R.  Gamble, 
J.  D.  Thorpe, 
Simon  Towle, 
James  Lamb, 
John  Todd. 

J.  C.  Grier, 
J.  M.  Booth, 
A.  J.  Buel, 
Jesse  L.  Williams, 
Samuel  Russell. 

C.  A.  Spring, 
Julius  T.  Clark, 
W.  Bailey, 
Thomas  Foster, 
R.  Lowe. 


1859.         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  II9 

For  Four  Years. 
J.  Phelps,  A.  P.  Waterman, 

R.  G.  Thompson,  Thos.  H.  Beebe, 

W.  W.  Harsha,  N.  C.  Thompson, 

H.  M.  Robertson,  W.  G.  Holmes, 

R.  C.  Matthews.  James  M.  Ray.  ^ 

Thus  ended  the  painful  struggle  of  many  years.  Thus  was 
decided,  by  the  supreme  authority  of  the  Church,  the  vexed 
problem  of  the  location,  the  endowment,  the  control  and  the 
organization  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 
Thus  was  fixed  beyond  change  its  permanent  home.  It  might 
still  have  to  struggle  (and  it  did)  through  much  tribulation, 
through  many  conflicts,  drawbacks  and  discouragements,  in 
the  coming  years.  But  from  this  time  onward,- it  had  what  it 
never  had  before,  a  sure  foundation  on  which  to  build,  and  a 
location  which  would  become  more  and  more  acceptable  to  the 
Church  with  advancing  years. 

Referring  to  these  proceedings  of  the  Assembly,  in  his 
paper,  "  The  Expositor,"  Dr.  Rice  says :  "  There  was  very 
remarkable  unanimity  in  the  General  Assembly  regarding  the 
location  of  the  Seminary.-  In  the  election  of  four  professors 
to  fill  the  four  chairs  in  the  Seminary,  the  unanimity  was  even 
more  remarkable  than  in  the  choice  of  location.  Although 
there  was  for  each  of  the  chairs  a  very  unusual  number  of 
nominations,  there  was  but  one  balloting  for  each,  and  in  each 
case  the  majority  for  the  professor  elect  was  very  large 
indeed." 

"Letters  from  distant  brethren,"  says  Dr.  Rice,  ''in  every 
latitude  and  longitude,  gave  cheering  evidence  of  the  general 
interest  felt  through  the  Church  in  this  Seminary ;  and  the 
remarkable  providences  attending  its  location  and  organiza- 
tion with  so  extraordinary  unanimity  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly, taken  in  connection  with  the  funds  and  site  secured, 
encourage  the  confident  hope  that  it  has  a  bright  future  before 
it.  We  trust  it  will  be  remembered  in  the  prayers  and  liberali- 
ties of  the  people  of  God."  f 

Dr.  Charles  Hodge  closes  an  able  review  of  the  proceedings 

*  Minutes  of  General  Assembly,  1859. 

t  Presbyterian  Expositor  for  June  and  July,  1859. 


120  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

of  the  General  Assembly  in  the  case  of  the  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  with  the  remark,  ''  For  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  our  Church,  a  theological  seminary  begins  its  career  with  a 
full  corps  of  professors,  a  competent  endowment,  and  an 
excellent  geographical  position."  "^ 

Dr.  Van  Rensselaer,  reviewing  the  action  of  the  Assembly 
in  his  magazine  for  July,  1859,  says:  '' The  election  of  pro- 
fessors resulted  according  to  the  wishes  of  the  friends  of  the 
new  Seminary,  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  General 
Assembly.  The  hand  of  God  was  apparent  in  the  whole  trans- 
action The  successful  establishment  of  the  Northwestern 
Seminary  at  Chicago  this  year  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Rice 
and  Mr.  C.  H.  McCormick.  The  latter  gentleman,  with  a 
munificence  whose  memory  will  abide  forever  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  made  a  donation  of  $100,000  for  the  endowment 
of  the  institution.  In  no  other  way,  as  far  as  we  can  see, 
could  that  amount  of  money  be  so  well  applied  for  religious 
purposes.  May  a  rich  reward  follow  this  large-hearted  liber- 
ality." t 

While  the  fine  geographical  position  selected  for  the  Semi- 
nary— being  entirely  away  from  all  other  seminaries  of  the 
Church — and  the  munificent  donation  of  Mr.  McCormick  for 
its  endowment  had  great  weight  with  the  Assembly  in  influ- 
encing votes  for  Chicago  as  the  location,  it  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned that  Dr.  Rice's  personal  influence  had  much  to  do  in 
determining  the  final  result.  By  reason  of  an  active  ministry 
of  many  years  in  Kentucky,  and,  after  leaving  there,  both  at 
Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,  and  through  his  manifold  functions 
as  pastor,  preacher,  teacher,  editor,  public  debater,  lecturer  and 
author,  Dr.  Rice  had  come  to  wield  a  wide  and  potential  influ- 
ence over  the  Church  and  the  country,  especially  in  all  the  West 
and  Northwest,  such  as  does  not  often  fall  to  the  lot  of  even 
the  most  gifted  servants  of  God.  Nearly  two  years  before  the 
meeting  of  this  Assembly  he  had  removed  to  Chicago  and 
become  pastor  of  its  North  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  Mr. 
McCormick  was  a  member  and  most  efficient  supporter. 
Already  he  had  established   at  this  center,  and  through  Mr. 

*  Biblical  Repertory  for  July,  1859. 

t  Presbyterian  Magazine,  July,  1859,  p.  321. 


1859.         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  121 

McCormick's  pecuniary  aid,  a  monthly  magazine,  "  The  Pres- 
byterian Expositor,"  which  was  doing  good  service  in  the 
cause  of  sound  doctrine. 

He  and  Mr.  McCormick  were  a  unit  on  the  proposition  that 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  whole  Northwest  needed  a 
theological  school  at  Chicago.  It  is  impossible  now  to  decide 
in  whose  mind  the  first  conception  of  such  a  school  at  this 
point  originated.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  Mr.  McCormick, 
with  his  large  endowment,  and  Dr.  Rice,  with  his  eloquence 
and  logic,  stood  ready  to  give  practical  shape  to  the  scheme  in 
the  General  Assembly.  Unquestionably  the  cause  was 
eloquently  and  successfully  pleaded  before  that  venerable 
body.  And  certainly  one  of  the  most  effective  arguments  in 
the  plea  was  the  fact  that  one  man,  out  of  his  deep  convictions 
of  what  was  needed,  stood  ready  to  back  up  those  convictions 
with  the  substantial  aid  of  a  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  question  of  the  Northwestern  Theological  Seminary 
commanded  greater  interest  in  and  occupied  more  of  the  time 
of  the  Assembly  than  any  other  subject  brought  forward  for 
its  consideration.  That  interest  reached  its  climax,  when,  on 
the  tenth  day  of  the  session.  Dr.  MacMaster  delivered  his 
speech  on  the  motion  to  arrest  the  election  of  professors  and 
refer  the  whole  subject  to  the  next  Assembly.  The  speech 
was  regarded  by  many  as  ill-timed  and  suicidal,  but,  intrinsic- 
ally considered,  it  was  one  of  the  greatest  efforts  of  his  life. 

Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  in  the  "  Princeton  Review,"  has  left  the 
following  estimate  of  the  speech  and  the  occasion  : 

"  Dr.  MacMaster  has  carried  into  effect  his  purpose  to  print 
his  speech,  and  we  have  had  the  opportunity  of  reading  it  in 
pamphlet  form.  The  perusal  has  impressed  us  deeply  with 
the  conviction  of  the  author's  ability  and  courage.  It  is  an 
open  and  manly  avowal  of  opinions  which  he  knew  to  be 
unpopular,  and  which  he  must  have  been  aware  would  place 
him  out  of  sympathy  with  the  body  which  he  addressed. 
While  we  cannot  help  feeling  respect  for  the  man,  and  sympa- 
thy with  him  in  the  frustration  of  his  cherished  plans,  we 
regard  the  speech  as  unsound  in  doctrine  and  eminently  inap- 
propriate to  the  occasion.      Dr.   MacMaster  was   not   called 


122  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

upon  to  defend  himself.  He  had  not  forfeited  the  confidence 
of  any  part  of  the  Church,  North  or  South.  He  had  been 
accused  of  abohtionism,  as  Dr.  Rice  had  been  accused  of  being 
the  advocate  of  slavery  and  the  tool  of  a  pro-slavery  party. 
Neither  needed  any  vindication.  They  had  for  years  been 
arrayed  on  opposite  sides  of  many  questions  of  policy.  Both 
had  been  assailed,  with  equal  injustice  it  may  be,  with  ha\'ing 
ulterior  and  unavowed  objects,  and  with  prosecuting  those 
objects  by  unfair  means.  Into  the  merits  of  these  controversies 
the  Assembly  was  not  called  upon  to  enter,  and,  as  far  as  we 
can  learn,  was  not  disposed  to  take  sides  with  either  party. 

"If  we  may  confide  in  the  statements  of  those  who  had  the 
best  opportunities  of  knowing,  the  Assembly  was  prepared  to 
do  full  justice  to  Dr.  MacMaster.  Some  of  his  best  friends 
have  publicly  asserted  that  sixty  members  of  the  Assembly 
from  the  South  had  avowed  their  purpose  to  vote  for  him  as  a 
professor  in  the  new  Seminary,  which  would  doubtless  have 
secured  his  election.  His  claims  were  peculiarly  strong.  His 
long  and  faithful  service  as  professor  at  New  Albany,  his  elec- 
tion to  a  chair  in  the  Northwestern  Seminary  by  the  represent- 
atives of  the  seven  synods  before  its  transfer  to  the  Assembly, 
his  having  voluntarily  resigned  that  chair  in  order  that  the 
Assembly  might  be  unembarrassed  in  the  selection  of  its 
officers,  should  they  decide  to  assume  the  charge  of  the  insti- 
tution, and  his  own  eminent  qualifications  for  the  office,  were 
considerations  which  no  body  of  generous,  right-minded  men 
would  think  of  resisting. 

*'  His  speech,  however,  put  his  election  out  of  the  question, 
for  two  reasons.  First,  it  could  not  fail  to  be  considered  as  an 
avowal  of  opinions,  feelings  and  purposes  in  reference  to 
slavery  which  the  Assembly  could  not  sanction  ;  and  secondly, 
it  made  it  evident  that  he  could  not,  and  would  not  co-operate 
with  Dr.  Rice,  whose  claims,  in  the  opinion  of  a  large  class  of 
his  brethren,  were  equal  to  his  own.  When,  therefore,  the  votes 
were  counted,  it  was  found  that  two  hundred  and  fourteen  had 
been  cast  for  Dr.  Rice,  and  only  forty-five  for  Dr.  MacMaster."  * 

To  these  strictures  of  Dr.  Hodge,  Dr.  MacMaster  replied  in 

*  Princeton  Review,  July,  1859,  p.  691. 


1859-         REORGANIZED  BY  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY.  1 23 

an  article  prepared  for  "  The  Princeton  Review,"  and  addressed 
to  Dr.  Hodge,  but  which  was  published  in  "  The  Presbyter,"  of 
Cincinnati,  under  date  of  August  i,  1859.  I^  is  an  elaborate 
and  able  defence  of  his  speech  before  the  Assembly,  re\-iewing 
all  the  points  of  objection  made  by  Dr.  Hodge,  and  written  in 
a  spirit  of  admirable  urbanity  and  Christian  kindness.  It 
begins  by  saying,  *'  The  tone  of  the  scholar,  the  gentleman  and 
the  Christian,  which  appears  in  your  criticism  of  my  speech  in 
the  late  General  Assembly  on  the  affair  of  The  Presbyterian 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  is  such  as  was  to  be 
expected  from  the  character  of  your  journal  and  its  editor." 

The  paper  is  much  too  long  to  be  inserted  here,  but  it  is  due 
to  the  memory  and  to  the  eminent  abilities  of  Dr.  MacMaster 
to  quote  the  following  manly  and  noble  defence  of  his  position, 
which  is  found  at  its  close.  Nothing  could  be  more  character- 
istic of  the  lofty  principles  of  the  man  than  such  a  peroration. 
After  carefully  discussing  the  five  separate  charges  which  had 
been  alleged  against  his  position,  he  says: 

*'  As  to  my  speech,  what  you  allege  is  true,  that  I  knew 
before  it  was  made  that,  for  various  reasons  it  would  be  unac- 
ceptable to  many,  probably  to  the  great  mass  of  those  to  whom 
it  was  addressed.  It  was  not  made  to  please  men.  I  knew 
very  well  that  it  would  put  my  election  out  of  the  question,  if 
that  wxre  not  already  out  of  the  question.  I,  however,  accom- 
plished by  it  all  which  I  expected  to  accomplish  by  it.  I  did 
not  desire  an  election,  in  the  relations  and  circumstances  in 
which  any  election  was  likely  to  take  place.  To  my  friends, 
who  saw  fit  to  speak  to  me  of  the  matter,  I  said  that  it  was 
infinitely  more  important  for  me  to  preserve  my  own  integrity, 
to  maintain  my  principles  and  to  perform  my  duty  in  the  posi- 
tion in  which,  without  my  seeking  it,  I  found  myself,  than  that 
I  should  be  put  into  any  place  in  the  Seminary. 

"  My  object  was,  in  the  presence  of  the  General  Assembly 
and  of  the  whole  Church  and  of  all  others  concerned,  to  set 
the  whole  matter  in  its  true  light,  and  to  give  all  men  who 
desire  it  the  means  of  judging  of  the  real  merits  of  the. case, 
and  in  so  doing  to  deliver  my  own  testimony  and  leave  it  upon 
record.     This,  by  my  speech  in  the  Assembly  and  its  publica- 


124  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

tion  through  the  press,  I  have  accompHshed.  In  the  speech 
there  is  nothing  the  utterance  of  which  in  the  Assembly  and 
the  pubHcation  of  which  in  print  I  regret.  I  beHeve  my  speech 
to  have  been  eminently  appropriate  to  the  occasion,  true  in  its 
matter,  relevant  to  the  subject  in  hand,  temperate  in  tone,  and 
every  way  such  as  it  became  me  to  make  in  the  position  in 
which  I  was  placed.  I  am  perfectly  willing  that  it  should  stand 
of  record  and  abide  the  test  of  time  and  the  judgment  of  a 
better  state  of  mind  on  the  subject  than  that  which  seems  now 
to  prevail  in  the  Church,  or  at  least  in  those  who  claim  to  rep- 
resent the  Church. 

"  You  express  the  generous  sympathy  of  an  honorable  mind 
with  me  in  the  frustration  of  my  cherished  plans  in  respect  to 
the  Seminary;  and  I  thank  you  for  it.  It  is  true  that  it  was 
in  the  purpose  of  my  heart,  in  concurrence  with  my  brethren, 
to  establish  here  in  the  Northwest,  on  broad  foundations  and 
with  adequate  appointments  and  means,  a  school  for  the  train- 
ing of  ministers  for  this  great  field  which  should  be  a  seminary 
of  sound  principles;  in  which  should  be  formed  men  godly  in 
spirit,  sound  in  the  faith,  of  staunch  integrity,  of  honorable 
and  gentlemanly  character,  scribes  instructed  unto  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  men  having  knowledge  of  the  times,  and 
knowing  what  is  for  all  times  the  great  office  of  the  Church  as 
the  divinely  ordained  depository  of  the  oracles  of  God, 
appointed  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth  and  concerning  the 
moral  and  religious  duties  of  men,  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
personal  and  social,  private  and  public,  ecclesiastical  and  polit- 
ical, to  preach  the  word,  to  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all 
long  suffering  and  doctrine. 

**  It  would  be  foolish  forme  to  pretend  that  in  the  frustration 
of  my  cherished  plans  and  the  purposes  of  my  heart  I  do  not 
feel  disappointment.  Perhaps,  as  I  always  felt  my  insufficiency 
for  it,  I  was  presumptuous  in  putting,  even  upon  the  urgency 
of  my  brethren,  my  hand  to  such  a  work.  At  all  events,  while 
I  continue  to  speak  for  the  truth,  though  it  be  as  a  wanderer 
in  the  streets,  where  the  truth  is  fallen,  I  submit  without 
murmuring  to  the  will  of  Zion's  God  and  my  God.  I  am, 
reverend  and  dear  sir,  with  great  respect,  yours  very  truly, 

E.  D.  MacMaster." 


REV.  WILLIAM  M.  SCOTT,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE  NEW  DEPARTURE  AT  CHICAGO. 
1859- 


First  Meeting  of  the  New  Board  of  Directors.  Organization  of  the  Board. 
The  Old  Board  of  Trustees  Recognized.  Changes  in  that  Board.  The 
Legal  and  Ecclesiastical  Succession.  In  What  Sense  New  and  Old.  Judge 
Scates's  Opinion.  General  Assembly  of  1864.  Action  of  the  New  Albany 
Trustees.  An  Amicable  Civil  Suit.  Executive  Committee  Appomted. 
Salary  of  the  Professors.  Pastoral  Work  Allowed.  Agents  to  Raise  Funds. 
Day  for  Opening  the  Seminary.  Day  for  Inaugurating  the  Professors 
Appointed.  Circular  Address  to  the  Churches.  Acceptance  by  the  Four 
Professors  Announced.  Building  Secured  for  the  New  Seminary.  Compli- 
mentary Notices.  First  Meeting  of  the  Session.  Number  of  Students  m 
Attendance,  Their  Studies  Commenced.  Their  Comfortable  Quarters. 
Professors  and  Students. 


Pursuant  to  the  order  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  held  in  May,  1859,  ^^  Indianapolis,  a 
majority  of  the  constituent  directors  appointed  by  that  body 
met  in  the  North  Presbyterian  church  of  Chicago,  May  28, 
1859,  ^o^  ^^^^  purpose  of  organizing  the  new  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest, 
and  of  taking  measures  for  the  opening  of  the  Seminary.  Rev. 
John  H.  Brown,  D.D.,  was  called  to  the  chair  until  a  perma- 
nent organization  could  be  completed,  and  Rev.  John  M.  Paris 
was  chosen  to  act  as  secretary />r<?  tein.  Dr.  Brown  opened 
the  proceedings  with  prayer. 

The  new  Board,  as  elected  by  the  Assembly,  consisted  of 
forty  ministers  and  ruling  elders,  one-half  being  of  each  class. 
They  had  been  chosen  from  ten  different  synods  of  the  North- 
west, eight  of  this  number  being  the  old  synods  that  had 
hitherto   managed  the  Seminary,  and  the  others  the  synods  of 

125 


126  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Michigan  and  Missouri,  which  thus  far  had  had  no  representa- 
tion in  the  Board.  Nearly  one-third  of  the  new  Board  had  also 
been  members  of  the  synodical  Board.  At  this  first  meeting 
twenty-two  members  were  in  attendance.  Permanent  officers 
of  the  Board  were  elected  for  one  year,  viz.:  Rev.  Samuel  T. 
Wilson,  D.D.,  president ;  Rev.  William  W.  Harsha,  vice-presi- 
dent, and  Rev.  John  M.  Paris,  secretary. 

One  of  the  important  acts  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  this, 
its  first  meeting,  was  to  recognize  as  their  own  Board  of  Trus- 
tees the  Board  of  Trustees  that  had  been  incorporated  in  1857 
by  the  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  as  "  The  Trustees  of 
the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest." 
That  Board  had  been  chartered  under  the  existing  constitution 
of  the  Seminary  as  controlled  by  the  synods,  and  had,  in  fact, 
been  appointed  by  the  old  synodical  Board  of  Directors  at  its 
first  meeting  in  Chicago,  in  November,  1856.  Being  a  char- 
tered corporate  body,  it  had  not  ceased  or  lapsed  by  reason  of 
this  transfer  of  the  institution  from  the  synods  to  the  General 
Assembly.  The  Board  appointed  a  committee  to  examine 
into  the  matter,  who  conferred  with  legal  advisers  in  the  city, 
and  thereupon  the  Board  decided,  in  accordance  with  the 
opinion  of  the  gentlemen  consulted,  that  ''  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees appointed  by  the  old  Board  of  Directors  could,  without 
impairing  the  act  of  incorporation,  come  under  the  control  of 
the  new  Board  of  Directors.'"^ 

The  following  resolutions,  reported  by  the  committee,  were 
therefore  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Directors : 

I.  "  Resolved,  That,  in  accordance  with  Sec.  II  of  the  Act 
of  Incorporation  of  The  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  this  Board  now  change  one- 
third  of  the  number  of  trustees  by  the  appointment  of  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick,  Elisha  Wadsworth  and'james  B.  Waller,  in  the 
places  of  John  Wilson,  A.  B.  Newkirk  and  Warren  Norton. 

II.  "  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Trustees  be  instructed 
to  consider  whether  any,  and  if  any  what  alterations,  changes 
or  amendments  may  be  necessary  in  the  act  of  incorporation, 
and  to  take  measures  to  secure  any  such  amendments  as  may 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  114. 


1859.  THE  NEW  DEPARTURE  AT  CHICAGO.  127 

be  deemed  necessary  from  the  Legislature  of  Illinois  at  its  next 
session." 

This  matter  came  before  the  Board  of  Directors  again  at 
their  adjourned  meeting  in  October,  1859,  and,  in  order  to 
make  assurance  doubly  sure,  Judge  Walter  B.  Scates,  of  Chi- 
cago, was  invited  to  come  before  them  and  give  his  opinion. 
We  find  on  record  the  following  minute,  under  date  of  October 
26th,  1859  • 

'*  The  executive  committee  having  applied  to  W.  B. 
Scates  for  legal  advice  as  to  the  power  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
to  act  under  the  act  of  incorporation  obtained  from  the  legis- 
lature while  the  Seminary  was  under  synodical  control,  he,  at 
their  request,  came  before  the  Board  of  Directors  and  stated  : 

"  That  he  had  examined  the  original  constitution,  the  reso- 
lution of  the  synods  which  had  had  the  control  of  the  Seminary 
in  transferring  that  control,  the  action  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  case,  and  the  act  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Illinois  ;  and  after  careful  con- 
sideration of  these  several  documents  he  was  of  opinion  that  the 
Board  of  Trustees  have  full  power  to  act  as  provided  in  the 
act  of  incorporation  ;  -and  that  their  powers  are  not  abrogated 
nor  abridged  by  the  change  of  the  direction  and  management 
from  the  synods  to  the  General  Assembly  ;  that  the  constitu- 
tion provides  for  a  change  of  its  provisions,  and  that  such 
change  was  made  by  the  consent  of  two-thirds  of  the  united 
synods,  in  accordance  with  its  provisions."^ 

If  this  opinion  as  to  the  law  was  sound  and  this  action  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  in  recognizing  the  old  Board  of 
Trustees  as  their  own  in  accordance  therewith  was  correct, 
then  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  Theological  Seminary 
established  by  the  General  Assembly  at  Chicago,  in  1859,  is 
both  the  ecclesiastical  and  legal  successor  of  the  Seminary 
which  was  so  long  under  synodical  control  at  New  Albany  and 
Hanover.  The  Board  of  Directors  was  changed  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1859,  and  the  old  Board  gave  way  to 
the  new.  But  the  Board  of  Trustees,  incorporated  by  the 
Illinois     legislature,    remained     the    same    under     the     new 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  125. 


128  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

directory  as  under  the  old,  until  its  members  were  gradually 
changed  from  year  to  year  by  the  new  Board  of  Directors, 
according  to  the  act  of  incorporation,  which  provided  that 
such  change  might  be  made.  The  Board  of  Trustees  there- 
fore stood,  at  this  date,  June  29th,  1859,  as  follows:  Samuel 
Howe,  R.  J.  Hamilton.  R.  \V.  Henry,  R.  B.  Mason,  William 
Bailey,  A.  J.  Buel,  Elisha  Wadsworth,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick, 
and  James  B.  Waller.  The  first  six  of  these  gentlemen  had 
been  named  in  the  act  of  incorporation  of  1857.  -^  second 
change  of  one-third  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  made  a  year 
later  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  when  Walter 
B.  Scates,  Wesley  Munger  and  Henry  G.  Miller  were  elected 
trustees,  in  the  place  of  R.  W.  Henry,  William  Bailey  and 
A.  J.  Buel. 

It  was  easy  to  see  in  what  respects  the  Seminary  in 
coming  to  Chicago  would  begin  there  as  a  new^  institution 
and  yet  as  an  old  one.  It  would  come  as  the  natural  develop- 
ment of  all  that  had  gone  before  on  this  educational  line.  It 
would  come  as  the  offspring  and  the  rightful  heir  of  a  long 
and  interesting  history.  It  was  a  new  institution  in  that  it 
was  established  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  whole  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  not  by  any  particular  synods.  It  was  new^ 
in  having  a  new  constitution,  a  new  directory  and  a  new 
faculty,  adopted  or  chosen  by  that  Assembly.  It  came  w^ith  a 
new  endowment  and  with  new  promises  of  land  from  w^hich 
to  choose  a  site. 

But  it  was  still  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest.  It  had 
much  that  was  new  and  something  also  that  was  old  and  good. 
It  had  succeeded  to  the  very  name  and  title,  to  the  proposed 
new  location  and  the  wide  domain,  to  the  peculiar  work  and 
the  grand  educational  purposes  which  had  belonged  to  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  synodical  Board.  It  was  in 
many  important  aspects  a  new  foundation  and  a  new 
departure.  But  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  consider  it  a  new 
institution  altogether.  Although  it  came  to  Chicago  wath  a 
new  directory,  a  new  faculty  and  a  new  endowment,  it  was 
nevertheless  organized  there  under  the-  same  legislative  char- 
ter  and    with    the   same  old    Board    of   Trustees   which   had 


i859-  THE  NEW  DEPARTURE  AT  CHICAGO.  129 

existed  during  the  period  of  synodical  control.  Under  that 
charter,  and  by  that  Board  of  Trustees,  the  new  Seminary 
to-day  holds  all  its  accumulated  and  valuable  estate.  Nor  did 
the  General  Assembly  when  taking  it  from  the  synods  intend 
to  ignore  or  blot  out  its  preceding  record.  It  simply  accepted 
the  trust  transferred  to  it  by  the  synods;  adopted  their  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest  as  it  own  ;  gave  it  a  new  constitution,  a 
new  Board  of  Directors,  a  new  corps  of  instructors,  a  new 
endowment  and  a  new  departure  at  Chicago. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1864  fully  recognized  the  true 
history  and  relationship  of  this  Seminary  to  the  Church,  when 
it  adopted  the  report  of  its  standing  committee  on  seminaries 
of  that  year,  in  the  following  minute : 

"  The  report  of  the  directors  of  the  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west is  numbered  as  the  fifth  :  and  yet  it  may  not  be  improper 
to  remember  and  record  the  fact  that  the  institution  is  his- 
torically older  than  this  title  of  the  report  would  indicate,  as 
this  numbering  refers  only  to  the  time  when  the  Seminary  was 
taken  under  the  care  of  the  General  Assembly.  It  is  due  to 
the  verity  of  history,  to  the  memory  of  the  honored  dead,  to 
the  services  of  many  still  living  and  to  a  large  number  of  its 
alumni,  and  it  is  also  a  just  tribute  to  the  great  Head  of  the 
Church,  to  record  the  fact  that  theological  education  in  the 
Northwest  began  more  than  thirty  years  ago,  at  Hanover, 
Indiana,  under  the  venerable  John  Matthews,  D.D.  ;  and  that 
the  Seminary  then  commenced  continued  to  exist  under 
synodical  control  there  and  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  until 
the  time  of  its  transfer  to  the  care  of  the  General  Assembly 
and  its  removal  to  Chicago.  During  the  period  of  its  opera- 
tions in  the  two  localities  first  named  about  two  hundred 
students  were  trained  in  it,  many  of  whom  are  now  eminent 
and  efficient  laborers  in  the  Lord's  vineyard."  ^■ 

Dr.  David  X.  Junkin,  who  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  seminaries  in  the  Assembly  of  1864,  afterwards  stated  in 
one  of  the  public  prints  that  the  paragraph  quoted  above  was 
not  written  by  himself,  but  was  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  James 
"Wood,    the   moderator   of    that    Assembly,   and    that    it   was 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Asseinl/.j.-  of  1S64,  p.  278. 


130  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

incorporated  as  a  part  of  the  committee's  report  to  the  Assem- 
bly at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  WilHs  Lord.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
the  statement  about  the  Seminary  in  the  paragraph  is  his- 
torically correct.  There  was  no  man  in  the  Church  at  that 
time  better  acquainted  with  the  whole  preceding  history  of 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  than  Dr.  Wood. 
He  had  personally  much  to  do  with  maintaining  the  institu- 
tion through  all  its  earlier  periods.  The  statement  incor- 
porated in  that  report,  and  adopted  by  the  Assembly,  is 
abundantly  attested  by  the  history  set  forth  in  these  pages, 
and  also  by  Dr.  Wood's  own  "  Historical  Sketch,"  now  in  the 
Seminary  library. 

In  the  judgment  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1859,  ^^d  in 
the  judgment  of  all  the  synods  which  united  in  transferring 
The  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  to 
that  body,  there  could  be  no  room  to  doubt  that  the  new 
Seminary  thus  established  at  Chicago  was,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  the  true  and  rightful  ecclesiastical  successor  to  the 
old  Seminary  which  these  synods  had  been  so  long  struggling 
to  build  up.  When  the  Assembly  of  1859  took  the  important 
trust  from  the  hands  of  the  eight  synods  and  their  old  Board 
of  Directors,  it  was  taken  with  all  its  assets  and  liabilities,  with 
all  its  large  expectations  and  its  hitherto  inadequate  resources. 
The  General  Assembly  took  it  for  *'  better  or  for  worse,"  as  an 
institution  still  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  northwestern  churches, 
which  had  long  struggled  under  difficulties  and  was  in  great 
need  of  help.  But  now  that  it  had  survived  all  troubles,  and 
found  at  last  a  helping  hand  in  the  General  Assembly,  it  was 
not  supposed  that  any  of  its  old  friends  would  repudiate  the 
kinship  and  deny  its  claim  to  be  the  veritable  successor  of  both 
che  New  Albany  and  the  Indiana  Theological  Seminaries. 

Yet  this  was  what  awaited  it.  At  the  very  first  meeting  of 
the  new  directors  at  Chicago  they  found  themselves  face  to 
face  with  a  considerable  amount  of  pecuniary  liabilities  which 
had  been  contracted  under  the  old  synodical  Board  pressing  for 
payment,  and  without  one  dollar  of  assets  to  be  had  from  New 
Albany.  The  General  Assembly  had  been  assured  by  the  old  • 
Board,  when   the   transfer  of  the    Seminary   was  made,  that, 


1859.  THE  NEW  DEPARTURE  AT  CHICAGO.-  13I 

while  there  was  some  indebtedness  to  be  paid,  there  was  also  to 
meet  it  a  goodly  sum  of  assets  in  real  estate  or  notes  and 
bonds,  not  far  from  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  which  would 
rightfully  belong  to  the  transferred  Seminary  of  the  General 
Assembly. 

But  the  old  Board  of  Trustees  at  New  Albany,  when 
urgently  asked  to  settle  these  just  claims,  or  to  hand  over  to 
the  Chicago  Board  their  assets,  repudiated  the  obligation  and 
withheld  the  property,  on  the  ground  that  nothing  could  be 
moved  from  New  Albany,  not  even  the  Seminary  library, 
which  was  now  so  much  needed  by  the  institution  about  to 
open  its  doors  at  Chicago.  After  repeated  applications,  all  of 
which  were  refused  by  the  New  Albany  trustees,  the  Board 
of  Directors  at  Chicago  felt  constrained  to  have  the  matter 
decided  by  an  amicable  suit  in  the  United  States  Court  for 
the  District  of  Indiana,  and  for  this  purpose  employed  Judge 
Walter  B.  Scates  to  cany  the  case  before  that  tribunal  at 
Indianapolis.  The  suit  was  brought  by  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trustees  against  the  old  Board  of  Trustees  at  New  Albany,  in 
the  form  of  a  bill  of  complaint  to  recover  the  property. 

The  New  Albany  Trustees  had  declined  to  hand  over  the 
property  on  the  ground  that  the  removal  of  the  Seminary  from 
that  place  had  forfeited  the  original  donation  made  by  Mr. 
Elias  Ayers,  who  had  stipulated  that  it  should  not  be  so 
removed.  His  widow  and  sole  heir,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Ayers, 
who  had  become  Mrs.  Richardson,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  claimed 
the  property  as  her  own  under  that  forfeiture,  and  she  had 
already  made  a  donation  to  Hanover  College  of  all  her  right 
and  interest  in  the  premises,  so  that  Hanover  College  was  one 
of  the  defendants  and  a  third  party  in  the  case.  In  the  mean- 
time the  Board  of  Directors  at  Chicago  were  compelled  to 
defer,  from  time  to  time,  the  payment  of  certain  debts  con- 
tracted by  the  old  Board  until  the  suit  should  be  decided. 

The  new  Board  of  Directors  at  its  first  meeting  appointed 
an  executive  committee  consisting  of  nine  of  its  own  members, 
five  being  a  quorum  to  transact  business,  which  should  have 
the  practical  management  of  affairs  during  the  intervals 
between  the  regular  meetings  of  the  Board.     The   following 


132  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

were  appointed,  viz.:  ministers,  F.  N.  Ewing,  J.  C.  Brown,  J. 
Phelps,  J.  M.  Paris,  and  ruling  elders,  Simon  Towle,  Thos. 
H.  Beebe,  J.  L.  Williams,  C.  A.  Spring  and  Wm.  G.  Holmes. 

The  Board  fixed  the  salary  of  the  professors-elect  at  three 
thousand  dollars  per  annum  for  each,  payable  semi-annually. 
In  answer  to  a  question  raised  by  Dr.  William  Scott,  who  was 
present  at  this  meeting,  as  to  whether  the  professors  would  be 
allowed  to  undertake  regular  parochial  or  missionary  labors,  if 
any  of  them  should  be  able  to  do  so  and  Providence  should 
open  the  way,  the  Board  adopted  the  following  resolutions  : 

''Resolved,  I,  That  the  Board  see  no  inconsistency  in  unit- 
ing with  the  duties  of  a  professorship  in  the  Seminary  those 
of  a  pastor,  or  an  evangelist,  but  would  regard  it,  in  the  incipi- 
ency  of  the  institution,  as  highly  desirable. 

"Resolved,  2,  That  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board  whatever 
salary  may  accrue  from  such  pastoral  or  missionary  labor  will 
properly  belong  to  the  professors,  and  ought  not  to  be 
regarded  as  any  part  of  the  salary  allowed  them  by  the 
Board." 

At  this  meeting  of  the  Board,  it  was  also  resolved  to 
appoint  two  financial  agents,  one  a  minister  and  the  other 
a  ruling  elder,  to  visit  the  churches  of  the  Northwest  and 
raise  money  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  a  library  for  the 
institution,  erecting  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  stu- 
dents, obtaining  scholarships  to  aid  indigent  students  and 
increasing  the  endowment  fund.  The  election  resulted  in  the 
appointment  to  this  important  agency  of  Rev.  Robert  P. 
Farris,  of  Peoria,  111.,  and  Elder  Charles  A.  Spring,  of  Chicago. 
Both  gentlemen  accepted  the  appointment  and  were  soon  at 
work  in  the  field. 

At  the  date  of  this  meeting  of  the  Board,  the  professors- 
elect  were  all  in  Chicago.  Dr.  Rice  was  already  in  charge  of 
the  North  church  as  its  pastor,  and  the  others  had  come  on  a 
visit,  with  a  view  to  determining  their  own  action  as  regarded 
the  Seminary.  Though  waited  on  by  a  committee  of  the 
Board  asking  for  their  answer,  they  were  not  yet  prepared 
to  make  a  final  decision  and  accept  the  professorships  to  which 
they  had  been  called  by  the  General  Assembly.     The  direc- 


1859-  THE  NEW  DEPARTURE  AT  CHICAGO.  133 

tory,  however,  had  good  reasons  to  beheve  that  each  of  the 
professors  would  soon  give  them  an  answer  accepting  his 
appointment,  and  they  deemed  it  of  the  highest  importance 
that  the  Seminary  should  be  opened  for  students  without  delay 
in  the  coming  autumn. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  following  minute  with 
regard  to  the  day  of  opening  and  the  duration  of  the  session 
was  adopted : 

''  Resolved,  That,  in  the  estimation  of  this  Board,  it  is  of 
great  importance  that  the  Seminary  be  opened  the  coming  fall 
for  the  reception  and  instruction  of  students.  And  trusting 
that  the  professors-elect  will  accept  the  appointment  made 
with  such  cordiality  and  such  unanimity  by  the  whole  Church 
in  her  General  Assembly,  the  Board  hereby  order  that  the 
Seminary  be  opened  on  Wednesday,  the  14th  day  of  Septem- 
ber next,  and  that  the  session  continue  until  the  first  Wednes- 
day in  May,  i860." 

Before  adjourning,  the  Board  took  the  following  additional 
action  fixing  a  day  for  the  formal  inauguration  of  the  pro- 
fessors : 

*'  Resolved,  That,  when  the  Board  shall  adjourn,  it  will 
adjourn  to  meet  in  this  house  (the  North  Presbyterian  church, 
Chicago),  on  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  October  next,  at  seven 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  and  that  during  the  session  then  to  commence 
the  inauguration  of  the  professors  who  may  accept  shall  take 
place,  and  that  the  following  be  the  order  of  exercises,  viz.: 

1.  A  sermon  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Brown,  D.D.,  or  Rev.  Chas. 
Axtel,  alternate. 

2.  The  President  of  the  Board  to  read  the  pledge  required 
to  the  professors,  and  after  their  signing  it,  offer  prayer  and 
give  an  address  to  the  professors;  or  Rev.  Plenry  Neill, 
alternate. 

3.  An  inaugural  address  by  each  professor." 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Board  the  executive  com- 
mittee, by  its  order,  prepared  and  published  an  able  and  inter- 
esting "  Address  to  the  Churches  of  the  Northwest,"  calling 
their  attention  to  the  wonderful  and  gracious  providence  of 
God  which  had  thus  far  marked  the  progress  of  the  Seminary 


134  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

in  its  new  location  at  Chicago,  and  strong!}-  urging  all  true- 
hearted  Presbyterians  in  its  broad  field  to  give  to  it  their 
most  hearty  and  united  co-operation.  "  Never,"  say  the\-. 
"  was  a  nobler  opportunity  offered  to  the  Church.  Sureh- 
here,  if  anywhere,  she  should  apply  the  maxim  of  the  sainted 
missionary'  Carey.  *  Expect  great  things  and  attempt  great 
things.'  " 

In  the  meantime,  the  professors  had  all  made  known  their 
acceptance  of  the  positions  to  which  the  Assembly  had  elected 
them.  In  the  "Presbyterian  ^lagazine"  of  August,  1859,  ^^^• 
Ewing,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee,  issued  another 
circular  in  which  he  said  : 

"  We  are  happy  to  announce  to  the  Church  that  the  four 
professors  elected  by  the  last  General  Assembly  have  signified 
their  acceptance  of  the  chairs  to  which  they  were  chosen 
by  that  body,  and  the  Seminary  will  be  open  to  the  reception 
of  students  on  the  14th  of  September,  1859. 

*•  The  executive  committee  are  enabled  to  say  to  all  young 
men  who  desire  the  advantages  of  this  Seminary  that,  through 
the  liberality  of  a  gentleman  of  Chicago,  we  have  secured 
a  large  building,  containing  about  forty  rooms,  fitted  up  in 
good  style  for  a  boarding  house,  where  the  students  will  find 
pleasant  rooms  ready  furnished  and  free  of  expense.  Arrange- 
ments will  be  made  to  afford  them  boarding  as  low  as  at  any 
other  seminar}'." 

In  the  '*  Presbyterian  Expositor"  of  August,  1859,  -Dr-  Rice 
made  the  following  complimentary  statement  with  regard 
to  the  three  professors  who  were  to  join  him  as  colleagues 
in  the  faculty:  '*  We  are  happy  to  be  able  to  say  that  Drs. 
Lord,  Scott  and  Halsey  have  accepted  the  chairs  to  which 
they  were  elected.  Dr.  Halsey,  with  his  family,  has  already 
removed  to  Chicago,  and  the  other  professors  are  expected  at 
an  early  day.  Of  these  three  gentlemen  we  may  venture 
to  say  they  enjoy  the  confidence  of  the  Church,  not  only 
as  wise  and  good  men,  but  as  possessing  in  a  high  degree  the 
qualifications  requisite  for  the  positions  to  which  they  have 
been  chosen  :  and  they  are  men  who  will  work  together  in 
entire  harmony." 


1859.  THE  NEW  DEPARTURE  AT  CHICAGO.  135 

In  conformity  with  the  order  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
requiring  the  Seminary  to  be  opened  for  instruction  on  the  14th 
day  of  September,  1859,  the  four  professors  appointed  by  the 
General  Assembly  held  their  first  meeting  with  the  students  at 
ten  o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  that  day,  in  the  rooms  which  had  been 
secured  for  the  purpose  by  the  executive  committee.  The 
meeting  was  in  a  spacious  and  well-furnished  building,  with 
suitable  accommodations,  both  for  lectures  and  students'  dormi- 
tories, situated  in  the  South  Division  of  the  city  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  Clark  and  Harrison  streets.  The  opening  services 
consisted  of  prayer,  reading  the  Scriptures,  singing  and  an 
introductory  lecture,  which  was  delivered  by  Professor  Nathan 
L.  Rice.  On  the  next  day  each  of  the  professors  met  the  stu- 
dents separately,  and  made  arrangements  for  the  course  of 
studies  in  his  own  department.  The  number  of  students  in 
attendance  by  the  end  of  the  week  was  ten,  and  this  number 
was  soon  increased  to  fourteen.  The  professors  all  occupied 
rented  houses  that  first  year,  situated  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  Seminary  building,  some  being  on  the  North  Side  of 
the  city  and  some  on  the  West,  as  they  were  able  to  find 
suitable  accommodations. 

The  students,  provided  with  large  and  pleasant  rooms,  passed 
that  first  winter  in  much  comfort ;  but  the  professors,  having 
to  meet  their  classes  miles  away  from  where  they  lived,  and 
with  few  horse-car  lines  in  the  city  to  assist  them  in  getting 
about,  were  called  upon  to  endure  considerable  toil  and 
exposure  as  they  faced  the  chilly  blasts  which  swept  across 
the  city,  at  that  time  very  sparsely  built  up.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing these  personal  discomforts,  the  work  of  the  institution 
was  carried  on  successfully,  and  every  one  was  encouraged  by 
the  prospect  of  increasing  usefulness. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

INAUGURATION  OF  THE  FOUR  PROFESSORS. 

1859. 


Interest  of  the  Occasion.  The  Old  North  Church.  Sermon  of  Dr. 
Brown.  Charge  of  Dr.  Wilson.  The  Pledge  Administered.  Review  of  the 
History,  inaugural  Addresses  of  Drs.  Rice  and  Lord.  Like  Addresses  of 
Drs.  Halsey  and  Scott.  Resume  of  these  Discourses.  Passages  from  Drs. 
Halsey  and  Scott.  Dr.  Rice's  Complimentary  Notice.  Eloquent  Perora- 
tion of  Dr.  Scott.  Publication  of  the  Addresses  and  Charge.  A  Site  for 
the  Seminary  Fixed  Upon.  The  Ground  on  which  it  Now  Stands. 
Thanks  of  the  Board  to  the  Liberal  Donors.  Foundation  of  a  Library 
Secured  through  Mr.  Corning.  His  Name  given  to  the  Library.  Mr. 
McCormick's  Name  assigned  to  the  Chair  of  Theology.  Minute  of  the 
Board  on  the  Subject. 

The  public  inauguration  of  the  four  professors-elect  was  an 
occasion  of  unusual  interest  to  all  the  friends  of  the  Seminary, 
not  only  at  Chicago,  but  in  all  parts  of  the  Northwest.  It  had 
just  been  preceded  by  a  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Chicago,  which 
body  had  passed  with  entire  unanimity  resolutions  commend- 
ing the  institution  to  the  confidence  and  liberality  of  the 
churches,  and  expressive  of  their  purpose  to  co-operate  in  sus- 
taining the  professors  in  their  labors.  A  number  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  synod  remained  to  attend  the  inaugural  services. 
The  occasion  was  one  not  soon  to  be  forgotten,  for  in  some  of 
its  circumstances  it  was  such  as  had  not  been  witnessed  before 
in  the  opening  of  any  of  our  theological  schools."^ 

The  inaugural  services  were  held  in  the  North  Presbyterian 
church  of  Chicago,  on  the  25th  and  26th  of  October,  1859. 
Its  house  of  worship  at  that  time  was  a  large  wooden  structure 
which    stood   at    the   corner   of    Illinois   and    Wolcott  (now 

♦Presbyterian  Expositor,  November,  1859,  p.  613. 


REV.  WILLIS  LORD,  D.  D    LL.  D. 


1859.         INAUGURATION  OF  THE  FOUR  PROFESSORS.  137 

State)  streets,  in  the  North  Division  of  the  city.  The  audi- 
ences assembled  from  time  to  time  were  large,  being  drawn 
together  by  the  novelty  of  the  occasion,  as  well  as  by  their 
interest  in  the  Seminary.  The  Board  of  Directors  met  in  this 
house,  according  to  their  adjournment,  on  the  evening  of  the 
25th,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  the  order  of  the  evening. 

The  professors  were  all  on  the  ground,  having  signified 
their  acceptance  of  the  chairs  to  which  they  had  been  severally 
chosen  by  the  Assembly,  and  in  pursuance  of  which  they  had 
already  been  giving  instruction  to  the  students  of  the  Seminary 
for  six  weeks.  The  Rev.  John  H.  Brown,  D.D.,  of  Spring- 
field, 111.,  preached  the  opening  sermon  on  Mat.  9 :  37,  38, 
"  The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  are  few ; 
Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  will  send 
forth  labourers  into  his  harvest."  It  was  a  very  appropriate 
and  instructive  discourse. 

The  president  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Rev.  Samuel  T. 
Wilson,  D.D.,  of  Rock  Island,  111.,  after  a  brief  recital  of  the 
interesting  and  solemn  circumstances  connected  with  the  open- 
ing of  the  Seminary  at  this  place,  read  to  the  professors  the 
following  pledge  or  engagement,  required  by  the  constitution 
of  the  Seminary,  to  which  they  gave  their  assent  and  affixed 
their  signatures  :  ''  In  the  presence  of  God,  and  of  the  Board 
of  Directors,  I  do  solemnly  profess  my  belief  that  the  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  and  catechisms  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  con- 
tain a  summary  and  true  exhibition  of  the  system  of  doctrine, 
order  and  worship  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  only 
supreme  and  infallible  rule  of  faith,  and  my  approbation  of  the 
Presbyterian  form  of  church  government  as  being  agreeable 
to  the  Scriptures  ;  and  I  do  promise  that  I  will  not  teach, 
directly  or  indirectly,  anything  contrary  to  or  inconsistent  with 
the  said  confession  and  catechisms,  or  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  Presbyterian  church  government,  and  that  I  will 
faithfully  execute  the  office  of  a  professor  in  The  Presbyterian 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest." 

Dr.  Samuel  T.  Wilson  then  offered  the  inaugural  prayer,  and 
afterwards  delivered  an  earnest,  solemn  charge  to  the  profes- 
sors, which  was  admirably  adapted  to  the  interesting  occasion. 


138  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

He  drew  a  graphic  picture  of  the  duties,  responsibilities  and 
quaHfications  of  those  who  are  called  of  God  to  the  solenin 
work  of  instructing  and  preparing  young  men  to  preach  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  His  references  in  the  opening  paragraphs  of 
his  address  to  the  history,  trials  and  brightening  prospects  of 
the  institution  were  very  impressive,  and  are  worthy  of  being 
permanently  preserved.  Some  of  his  words  have  been  referred 
to  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

*'  We  meet  to-day,  brethren  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and 
Christian  friends,  under  circumstances  of  no  ordinary  solemnity, 
and  for  the  transaction  of  business  intimately  connected  with 
the  honor  of  religion,  the  glory  of  God  and  the  decisions  of 
the  last  day.  The  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest  is  this  day  to  be  formally  organized  by  the  inaugu- 
ration of  those  who  have  been  chosen  to  be  its  professors. 
Such  an  event  as  the  installation  of  four  professors  at  the 
same  time  has  never  before  occurred  in  connection  with  any 
theological  seminary  in  this  land  ,  nor,  so  far  as  remembered, 
in  any  other  land  since  the  days  of  the  Reformation. 

''  From  the  circumstances  which  have  attended  the  previous 
efforts  to  establish  this  institution,  it  is  unavoidable  that  many 
and  various  emotions  ^should  fill  the  minds  and  hearts  of  all 
concerned  in  the  present  exercises.  Three  years  ago  precisely, 
the  voice  of  the  seven  synods  in  the  Northwest,  as  the  voice  of 
one  man,  united  in  saying:  'We  need  a  seminary  for  the 
training  of  ministers  for  this  wide  and  extending  field,  and 
with  the  help  of  God  we  will  arise  and  build  one.'  The  pur- 
pose thus  so  harmoniously  formed  met  the  hearty  response  of 
every  Presbyterian  heart,  and  within  a  few  months  thereafter 
such  a  beginning  had  been  made  as  seemed  to  promise  a 
speedy  realization  of  all  that  was  desired.  Unforeseen  difficul- 
ties, however,  arose,  which  not  only  clouded  those  first  favor- 
able prospects,  but  for  a  time  seemed  to  involve  the  whole 
enterprise  in  hopeless  ruin.  Nor  were  these  difficulties 
removed  until,  by  an  act  of  rare  Christian  magnanimity  on  the 
part  of  those  who  had  been  foremost  in  the  effort,  the  whole 
enterprise  was  transferred  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Church,    with     the    simple   request    that   a  seminary   on   the 


i859.         INAUGURATION  OF  THE  FOUR  PROFESSORS.  139 

same  footing  with  those  already  under  the  care  of  the  Assem- 
bly might  be  at  once  established.  The"  transfer  thus  made 
was  accepted,  and  the  seminary  now  to  be  organized  is  the 
result. 

"  Brought  thus  into  closer  contact  with  the  great  throbbing 
heart  of  the  Church,  the  seminary  seemed  at  once  to  secure 
the  affections,  and  to  call  forth  the  liberality  of  God's  people. 
One  gentleman  in  particular,  whose  name  will  be  hereafter  as 
an  household  word  among  us,  and  whose  noble  gift  will  remain 
a  monument  more  enduring  than  brass,  whose  hands  God  has 
filled  with  wealth,  and  whose  heart  He  has  moved  to  honor 
Him  with  it,  immediately  bestowed  upon  the  institution  a 
most  munificent  endowment.  And  others  since,  with  kindred 
hberality,  have  provided  for  its  present  and  permanent  location 
here  in  this  great  city  The  General  Assembly,  too,  appreci- 
ating the  extent  of  the  field  to  be  occupied,  and  the  magnitude 
of  the  work  to  be  done,  with  a  singular  and  perhaps  unaccount- 
able unanimity,  at  once  proceeded  to  fill  the  chairs  of  instruc- 
tion in  the  infant  seminary  with  four  of  her  choicest  sons,  all 
of  whom  have  been  led  to  accept  the  places  thus  assigned 
them,  and  in  the  good  providence  of  God  they  are  all  here 
to-day  to  offer  to  you  their  solemn  pledges  of  fidelity,  and  to 
receive  at  your  hands  their  official  investiture." 

On  the  next  day,  the  26th  of  October,  the  services  were 
resumed  at  the  church,  and  the  four'  professors  in  turn  deliv- 
ered their  inaugural  addresses  in  the  presence  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  and  a  large  audience  ;  two  of  them,  Drs.  Rice  and 
Lord,  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  other  two,  Drs.  Halsey  and 
Scott,  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day. 

Each  professor  gave  a  rapid  outline  of  the  studies  to  be 
pursued  in  his  own  department,  and  the  method  he  should 
adopt  in  imparting  this  instruction.  Dr.  Rice's  discourse  set 
forth,  in  clear,  comprehensive  statement,  the  true  province, 
purpose  and  work  of  the  systematic  theologian,  as  an  interpre- 
ter and  defender  of  the  great  essential  doctrines  of  God's 
inspired  Word.  Dr.  Lord  gave  a  brief  but  admirable  exposi- 
tion of  the  importance  and  the  necessity  of  a  careful  study  of 
Biblical  and  ecclesiastical  history,  as  connected  with  the  truth 


140  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

of  God  and  the  Church  of  God  in  their  progress  across  the 
ages.  Dr.  Halsey  brought  into  view  the  wide  domain  of  his- 
torical and  practical  ecclesiology,  including  the  varied  topics 
of  the  pastoral  care,  the  functions  of  the  ministry,  the  compo- 
sition and  delivery  of  sermons,  and  the  whole  constitution, 
polity,  worship  and  mission  of  the  Church  of  God,  as  Christ's 
kingdom  in  the  world.  Dr.  Scott  gave  an  outline  of  the 
method  of  instruction  in  his  department  of  Biblical  Literature 
and  Exegesis  so  as  to  secure  the  truest  exposition  of  the  sav- 
ing truth  of  God  as  it  is  revealed  in  all  the  Scriptures  and  as 
it  is  needed  for  the  work  of  the  faithful  minister. 

Writing  of  this  interesting  occasion  in  the  "  Presbyterian 
Expositor"  of  November,  1859,  ^^-  Rice  refers  to  his  col- 
leagues in  the  following  complimentary  terms :  "  Of  the 
inaugural  addresses  of  Drs.  Lord,  Halsey  and  Scott,  we  may 
say  truly  that  they  not  only  met,  but  exceeded  the  expecta- 
tions of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  of  others  who  heard  them. 
They  were  heard  not  only  with  interest,  but  with  pleasure  and 
admiration.  The  address  of  each  of  these  professors  had 
special  reference  to  the  department  of  instruction  assigned 
him,  and  afforded  additional  evidence  that  the  General  Assem- 
bly was  wise  in  the  election  of  them  to  the  important  and 
responsible  position  they  occupy." 

Drs.  Halsey  and  Scott,  each  at  the  close  of  his  address, 
took  occasion  to  refer  to  the  location,  the  work,  the  wide 
field,  and  the  hopeful  prospects  of  the  rising  institution,  in 
words  which  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  repeat  after  the  lapse 
of  nearly  thirty-four  years.  What  was  said  then  has  been  veri- 
fied and  intensified  by  all  that  has  followed.     Dr.  Halsey  said : 

"  Of  the  six  seminaries  of  our  Church,  the  only  one  in  the 
whole  vast  region  of  the  Northwest  is  that  which  we  are  here 
to-day  to  inaugurate.  This  single  fact  is  all  that  we  need,  both 
to  illustrate  the  magnitude  of  our  field,  and  to  vindicate  the 
wisdom  of  the  Assembly  in  founding  this  institution.  But  we 
cannot  stay  to  develop  these  thoughts  now.  The  work  is 
great,  the  time  is  short,  the  business  is  urgent,  and  what  our 
hands  find  to  do  let  us  do  it  with  our  might.  Our  sufificiency 
is  of  God,  and  through  Christ   strengthening   us  we  can  do  all 


i859.         INAUGURATION  OF  THE  FOUR  PROFESSORS.  141 

things.  The  day  in  which  we  live  and  the  place  where  we 
stand,  the  time  past,  the  time  to  come  and  the  signs  of  the 
present  time  all  conspire  to  encourage  and  cheer  us  on  to 
renewed  exertion  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

"  It  is  wonderful  to  think  what  God  has  done  for  our  Zion, 
and  to  see  what  He  is  doing  all  over  the  earth.  The  soul  of 
the  greatest  of  all  the  apostles,  could  he  return  to  the  earth, 
might  well  be  moved  within  him  to  see  what  our  eyes  have 
seen,  to  hear  what  we  hear  of  God's  wonderful  works  among 
men.  Look  where  we  stand  to-day  on  the  map  of  the  world, 
and  on  the  chart  of  human  history  !  The  gospel  which  we 
preach,  and  for  the  defense  of  which  this  new  seminary  is  now 
opened,  is  the  gospel  which  began  at  Jerusalem.  And  here 
we  are  almost  at  the  center  of  a  continent,  which  when  that 
gospel  began  was  unknown  even  to  human  conjecture.  Here 
we  stand  in  the  midst  of  the  freest  people  and  the  brightest 
civilization  that  ever  existed  on  the  globe ;  a  civilization  and  a 
people  that  seem  destined  to  endure  till  they  usher  in  the 
latter  day  glory  and  the  second  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man. 

"  Here  we  stand  midway  between  the  polar  regions  and  the 
Southern  Gulf,  almost  midway  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific,  and  on  the  very  verge  of  those  great  inland  seas,  which 
together  form  the  Mediterranean  of  our  continent ;  a  great 
highway  of  commerce  which  may  yet  play  as  important  a  part 
in  our  future  history  as  the  Mediterranean  has  done  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Old  World.  Here  we  stand  upon  the  border  of 
what  was  a  little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  a  vast 
untrodden  wild,  with  on  one  hand  the  wide  expanse  of  deep 
blue  waters  stretching  away  to  the  east,  uncheered  by  a  sail, 
and  on  the  other  the  boundless  prairies  stretching  away  like 
another  ocean  towards  the  setting  sun,  untenanted  by  civilized 
man,  but  now  the  busy  abode  of  a  hundred  thousand  souls,  and 
the  commercial  center  of  an  empire  of  mighty  states ;  here 
we  stand  in  the  good  providence  of  God,  solemnly  and  hope- 
fully to  inaugurate  another  of  those  institutions  of  learning 
which  are  at  once  the  highest  known  to  the  Church  of  God, 
and  the  most  important,  if  not  indeed  the  most  ancient,  known 
to  human  civilization.     As  from  such  a  point  of  vision,  and  such 


142  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

a  stage  of  our  progress,  we  survey  the  wonders  of  Providence, 
we  may  indeed  say,  '  Lo,  what  hath  God  wrought  !  '  " 

With  characteristic  fervor  Dr.  Scott  closed  his  address  in 
the  following  eloquent  words: 

''  In  the  bosom  of  one  of  the  youngest  synods,  in  the  heart 
of  this  youthful  city,  far  out  in  the  center  of  this  vast  conti- 
nent, with  a  vast  free  empire  rising  towards  the  setting  sun, 
the  whole  Presbyterian  Church  comes  to  accomplish  that  last 
and  most  difificult  work  of  our  organized  Christianity,  the 
proper  teaching  of  those  whom  God  shall  call  as  the  teachers 
of  His  people.  With  all  her  priceless  heritage  of  history,  with 
all  her  gifts  in  trust  for  the  souls  of  men,  with  all  her  love  for 
God,  for  country  and  for  truth,  she  comes  to  bear  her  part  in 
conquering  the  rising  empire  for  the  Prince  of  Peace.  She 
comes  to  raise  up  and  qualify  her  sons  to  preach  the  truth  as 
He  hath  given  it  to  her,  committing  it  to  faithful  men  who 
shall  be  able  to  teach  others  also  ;  to  men  who  dare,  as  her 
great  fathers  dared,  to  maintain  and  defend  the  integrity  and 
sufficiency  of  God's  truth  and  gospel  ,  who  shall  have  the 
learning  to  know  how  far  He  goes,  and  the  courage  to  go  that 
far ;  and  to  know  where  He  stops,  and  the  sometimes  greater 
courage  to  stop  just  there;  who  shall  be  as  careful  to  teach 
nothing  but  the  truth  for  the  faith  of  men,  as  the  whole  truth  ; 
who  shall  be  as  slow  to  add  or  to  allow  others  to  add  to  what 
He  hath  proclaimed  as  His  law  as  to  take,  or  allow  to  be 
taken,  aught  therefrom,  even  in  His  name. 

"  She  does  not  ordain  and  establish  this  seminary  to  lower 
the  standard  of  learning  in  her  ministry,  nor  to  invent  for  them 
any  other  message  to  the  souls  and  faith  of  men  but  that  old 
story  of  the  Cross.  This  day's  work  recalls  a  momentous 
career  over  which  that  Church  has  already  passed.  These  pro- 
ceedings point  to  results  vast  beyond  all  that  can  be  predicted 
by  man,  and  commit  the  Church  of  which  we  are  members  to 
a  future  which  she  may  not  have  the  grace  to  estimate  aright. 
According  to  her  faith  shall  it  be  done  by  her.  May  the  voice 
and  the  influence  that  shall  go  forth  from  this  seminary,  even 
to  countless  generations  of  teachers  and  pupils,  be  such  as  to 
cheer  onward   to  higher  efforts    and  broader  conquests    and 


1859.  INAUGURATION  OF  THE  FOUR  PROFESSORS.  143 

more  exhausting  sacrifices  and  deeper  trust  in  God  the  hosts 
that  shall  be  called  from  their  graves  of  worldliness  and  sin  by 
the  voice  of  these  heralds  of  the  truth.  And  may  the  spirit  of 
the  first  great  teachers  of  the  first  great  seminary  of  this 
Church  upon  these  shores,  be  perpetuated  in  all  the  depart- 
ments of  this  youngest  born  of  the  bright  sisterhood,  till  the 
ministry  of  men  shall  be  set  aside  by  the  bright  appearing  of 
the  Son  of  God." 

By  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  executive  com- 
mittee was  instructed  to  secure  the  publication  of  the  four 
inaugural  addresses,  together  with  Dr.  Wilson's  charge  to  the 
professors.  They  were  printed  in  a  thin  octavo  volume  of 
about  one  hundred  pages,  with  photographic  likenesses  of  Mr. 
McCormick  and  the  professors. 

One  of  the  important  things  determined  at  this  meeting  of 
the  directors  was  the  choice  of  a  suitable  site  for  the  Seminary, 
on  which  to  erect  permanent  buildings.  Several  liberal  offers 
of  ground  for  a  site  had  been  made.  At  the  preceding  meet- 
ing of  the  Board,  in  June,  there  was  laid  before  them  a  proposal 
from  C.  McAlister,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  in  which  he  agreed  to 
donate  for  this  purpose  half  a  block  of  land,  being  nearly  six 
acres,  beautifully  situated  within  the  corporate  limits  of 
Chicago  on  the  West  Side.  The  site  was  so  eligible,  being 
both  am.ple  and  conveniently  situated,  that  the  Board  had 
determined  to  accept  it ;  and  in  fact  had  authorized  the 
executive  committee  to  close  with  the  offer  in  case  they 
should  find  the  title  clear,  and  no  reasons  for  delay  should  be 
discovered  before  another  meeting  of  the  Board.  But  when 
this  second  meeting  convened,  something  had  occurred  suffi- 
cient to  delay  the  action  of  the  committee.  This  was  the 
offer  of  what  they  considered  a  far  more  desirable  site,  lying 
on  the  northern  border  of  the  city,  partly  within  and  partly 
outside  the  corporate  limits.  This  later  ofTer  the  committee 
reported,  and  recommended  that  it  be  accepted.  This  site 
consisted  of  a  block  of  twenty  acres  of  land  within  the  city 
limits  to  be  donated  by  Messrs.  William  B.  Ogden  and  Joseph 
C.  Sheffield,  on  condition  that  substantial  brick  and  stone 
buildings   for   seminary  purposes   should    be   erected    on    the 


144  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

ground  within  a  certain  time,  and  that  the  Seminary  should  be 
conducted  thereon  for  a  certain  period  of  years;  and  of  an 
additional  block  of  five  acres  of  land  lying  just  beyond  a  street 
which  separated  it  from  the  first  block,  in  the  town  of  Lake 
View,  to  be  donated  for  the  same  purpose  and  on  the  same 
conditions  by  Messrs.  William  Lill  and  Michael  Diversy. 

The  Board  having  visited  and  inspected  these  grounds,  the 
following  minute  on  the  subject,  moved  by  Dr.  Joshua  Phelps, 
was  at  once  adopted  :  ''  Resolved,  ist.  That  the  Board  approve 
the  action  of  the  executive  committee  in  reference  to  a  site  for 
the  Seminary.  Resolved,  2d.  That  the  Board  accept  the  offers 
of  Messrs.  Ogden,  Sheffield  and  others,  and  of  Messrs.  Lill  and 
Diversy,  of  the  amount  of  twenty-five  acres,  more  or  less,  as 
the  site  for  the  Seminary,  on  the  terms  mentioned  in  their  pro- 
posals herewith  submitted  to  the  Board  by  the  executive  com- 
mittee. Resolved,  3rd.  That  the  thanks  of  the  Board  in  their 
own  behalf,  and  in  behalf  of  the  Church  be  and  they  are 
hereby  tendered  to  these  gentlemen,  severally,  for  their  very 
generous  and  liberal  donations."  The  gift  of  twenty-five  acres 
of  land  made  by  these  gentlemen  for  a  permanent  home  of  the 
institution,  on  which  all  its  buildings  have  been  erected,  was 
considered  at  the  time  worth  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

One  of  the  indispensable  needs  of  a  theological  school,  for 
both  professors  and  students,  is  a  library.  This  need  of  the 
Chicago  institution  was  soon  partially  supplied  by  the  timely 
donation  of  a  liberal  gentleman  of  New  York,  Mr.  Hanson  K. 
Corning,  who  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Dr.  Willis  Lord. 
He  sent  Dr.  Lord  a  check  for  fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  the 
purpose  of  beginning  a  theological  library  for  the  Seminary. 
To  this  sum,  through  Dr.  Lord's  influence,  two  other  gentle- 
men, living  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  added  five  hundred 
dollars.  Mr.  Corning  subsequently  contributed  one  thousand 
dollars  more  to  the  fund  through  Dr.  Lord,  making  the  whole 
amount  raised  by  Dr.  Lord  for  the  library  three  thousand  dollars. 

With  this  sum  in  hand,  and  commissioned  by  his  colleagues 
and  the  executive  committee.  Dr.  Lord  went  to  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  the  first  session  to  purchase  books.  He  made  a 
judicious  selection  of  such  works  as  would  be  most  useful  to 


1859.         INAUGURATION  OF  THE  FOUR  PROFESSORS.  145 

the  Seminary  at  that  time,  in  all  about  two  thousancT  volumes, 
which  were  the  very  cream  of  sound  theology.  These  books 
were  received  in  due  time,  and  with  them  some  other  valuable 
volumes,  contributed  by  friends  of  the  institution,  among 
which  were  one  hundred  and  fifty  volumes  from  the  firm  of 
Robert  Carter  and  Brother,  and  a  full  set  of  the  books  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication.  In  this  way  was  laid  the 
foundation  of  what  has  since  grown  into  a  large  seminary 
library.  Thus  early  in  the  first  term  of  the  new  Seminary  a 
fair-sized  collection  of  choice  books  was  placed  at  the  service 
of  the  students,  which  was  well  adapted  to  their  wants,  con- 
taining as  it  did  a  wide  range  of  theological  literature. 

In  consideration  of  this  most  opportune  and  valuable  dona- 
tion of  Mr.  Corning,  the  directors  adopted  the  following 
minute :  "  Resolved,  That  in  our  behalf,  and  also  in  behalf  of 
the  Church,  we  hereby  tender  our  grateful  and  earnest  thanks 
to  Mr.  Corning  for  his  most  timely  and  valuable  donation ; 
and  as  a  further  expression  of  our  gratitude  we  designate  the 
library  so  founded  as  '  The  Corning  Library.' " 

At  this  meeting  of  the  Board  it  was  decided  to  connect 
Mr.  McCormick's  name,  in  honorary  commemoration,  with  one 
of  the  four  professorships  which  he  had  founded.  The  follow- 
ing minute  on  the  matter,  recommended  by  the  executive 
committee,  was  unanimously  adopted  :  "  Whereas,  The  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  founded  by  the  action  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church,  at  its  sessions  in 
Indianapolis,  in  May  and  June,  1859,  ^^^  which  has  now 
opened  under  circumstances  so  auspicious,  is  especially 
indebted  for  its  endowment  to  the  noble  Christian  munifi- 
cence of  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Esq.,  of  Chicago,  in  giving  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  towards  said  endowment ;  and, 
Whereas,  It  seems  to  us  eminently  proper  that  the  name  of 
such  a  benefactor  should,  in  some  fitting  manner,  be  perma- 
nently connected  with  the  institution  which  to  so  great  an 
extent  he  has  endowed ;  therefore.  Resolved,  That  the  profes- 
sorship of  Theology  in  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  be  and 
it  hereby  is  designated  as  '  The  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  Profes- 
sorship of  Theology.'  " 


CHAPTER   X. 

UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS. 

1859-1861. 


The  Opening  Session  of  1859.  Character  of  the  Professors.  Their 
Vigorous  Activity.  Success  of  the  Agents  in  the  Field.  Signs  of  Opposition. 
Want  of  Co-operation  and  Sympathy  in  Some  of  the  Synods.  Unfavorable 
Synodical  Action.  Opposition  of  the  Secular  Press.  The  Slavery  Question. 
Dr.  Rice's  Lectures  on  Slavery.  Masterly  Argument,  Letter  of  Dr.  Joshua 
Phelps.  His  Efficient  Services  in  the  Board.  Letter  of  Mr.  Charles  A. 
Spring.  Resignation  of  Dr.  N.  L.  Rice.  A  Serious  Calamity  to  the  Semi- 
nar)'. Feeling  of  his  Colleagues  on  the  Subject.  Reason  of  his  Decision  to 
Resign.  Removal  to  New  York.  Minute  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Dr. 
Rice  and  Mr.  McCormick.  A  Second  Loss  to  the  Faculty.  Dr.  Scott's 
Failing  Health.  Suspension  of  Labor,  Removal  to  Princeton,  N,  J.  Dr. 
Scott's  Death.  Minute  of  Board  of  Directors  on  Dr.  Scott.  His  Scholarship 
and  Character 


The  session  which  opened  so  well,  and  marked  this  new 
departure  of  the  Seminary,  was  one  of  uninterrupted  and  suc- 
cessful work  by  the  professors  and  students.  Nothing 
occurred  during  these  rapidly  passing  months  to  mar  the  har- 
mony or  dim  the  prospects  of  the  rising  institution.  The 
professors  were  fresh  at  the  work,  and  put  their  utmost  vigor 
into  it.  They  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  the  occasion,  for  they 
felt  that  they  were  laboring  as  pioneers  in  a  great  field 
and  for  a  great  cause.  They  all  preached  as  well  as  taught, 
wherever  there  was  a  call  for  pulpit  work,  either  in  the 
churches  of  Chicago  or  in  those  of  the  surrounding  region,  far 
and  near.  And  they  had  daily  in  their  lecture  rooms  the 
stimulus  of  a  band  of  bright  young  men  from  different  sections, 
alert  with  attention  and  eager  for  knowledge,  who  seemed  to 
have  become  imbued  at  once  with  the  spirit  of  the  new  enter- 

146 


If^lfi^ 


HON.  LINXOLN  CLARK. 


1859-1861.        UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS.  147 

prise  ;  some  of  whom  have  since  risen  to  high  positions  of  use- 
fulness and  honor  in  the  service  of  the  Church. 

The  larger  part  of  the  students  matriculated  this  first  ses- 
sion had  already  studied  one  year  of  the  theological  course  in 
other  seminaries  of  the  Church.  They  were  accordingly 
admitted  here  to  regular  standing  as  members  of  the  middle 
class,  while  the  new  students  entering  at  this  time  formed  a 
junior  class.  The  faculty  were  thus  enabled  to  organize  the 
two  classes.  But,  as  no  students  had  entered  far  enough 
advanced  to  form  a  regular  senior  class,  there  could  of  course 
be  no  regular  graduates  at  the  close  of  the  first  year.  The 
institution  was,  however,  fully  organized  for  work  from  the 
first. 

The  following  pareigraph,  taken  from  the  closing  volume  of 
Dr.  Van  Rensselaer's  magazine,  and  probably  written  just 
before  his  death,  serves  to  illustrate  the  estimation  in  which 
the  young  Seminary  and  its  new  professors  were  held  by  the 
Church  about  this  time.  It  is  in  an  extended  article  describ- 
ing the  history,  faculties  and  work  of  the  five  older  semina- 
ries of  the  Church,  with  a  brief  notice  of  this  sixth  .school. 
The  writer  says  : 

"  In  some  respects  the  Seminary  at  Chicago  is  very  remark- 
able. In  one  week  they  secured  the  full  endowment  of  four 
professorships  and  had  four  professors  elected,  who  have  all 
accepted  and  are  as  faithfully  at  work  as  if  they  had  fifty 
students.  The  entire  property  belonging  to  this  Seminary, 
and  acquired  in  a  few  months,  cannot  be  worth  less  than  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  dollars.  Her  professor  of 
Theology  ^^  never  lost  a  battle,  and  he  has  fought  with  many 
heresiarchs.  He  does  the  work  of  two  or  three  men  all  the 
time.  Her  professor  of  History  f  is  as  courteous  as  he  is 
scholarly,  a  finished  preacher.  Her  professor  of  Biblical 
Literature  :j:  will  be  heard  from  in  due  time  in  his  own 
department.  He  was  one  of  the  best  of  pastors  to  one  of 
the  most  important  Western  churches.  His  studies  and  con- 
nections have  prepared  him  for  his  post.  The  other  professor  § 
has  spoken  to  the  world  in  print,  and  men  have  listened.     He 

*Dr.  N.  I..  Rice.       t  Dr.  Willis  Lord.         tDr.  W.  M.  Scott.        §  Dr.  h-  J.  Halsey. 


148  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

carries  with  him  the  best  wishes  of  an  admiring  church  and  con- 
gregation. An  immense  region  north  and  west  and  southwest 
of  Chicago  will  look  thither  for  ministers."  ^• 

While  these  internal  operations  at  the  Seminary  were  mov- 
ing on  so  pleasantly  and  so  successfully,  a  similar  good  success 
seemed,  to  crown  the  labors  of  the  two  agents  appointed  by 
the  Board,  Mr.  Farris  and  Mr.  Spring,  in  their  visits  among  the 
churches.  They  were  received  with  much  cordiality,  and  with  a 
large  liberality.  Wherever  they  appealed  for  aid  for  the  Semi- 
nary the  people  responded  with  open  hearts  and  free  hands ; 
so  much  so  that,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  May,  i860,  the 
agents  reported  that  in  five  months  of  active  labor  in  the  field 
they  had  raised  funds,  in  money  or  good  notes,  for  the  found- 
ing of  scholarships  and  for  other  purposes,  to  the  amount  of 
thirty-three  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty  dollars.  Still, 
in  view  of  the  stringency  in  money  matters  which  already 
was  being  felt  all  over  the  country,  and  of  the  apprehensions 
as  to  the  future  which  were  filling  the  wisest  hearts  with 
alarm,  the  agents  thought  it  best  to  ask  for  a  suspension  of 
their  work  in  the  further  solicitation  of  funds.  Under  the 
circumstances  their  success  in  raising  funds  had  been  very 
encouraging,  and  one  great  good  they  had  accomplished  was 
the  securing  of  a  number  of  scholarships  for  the  benefit  of  such 
students  as  were  not  able  to  pay  their  own  way  in  the  Semi- 
nary. These  funds  did  great  service  for  the  institution  in  the 
trying  times  through  which  it  had  to  pass  in  the  years  to 
come. 

But,  though  the  success  of  the  Seminary  in  this  first  year  of 
its  new  era  was  upon  the  whole  satisfactory  and  encouraging, 
the  number  of  students  was  small  as  compared  with  the  needs 
of  the  great  field,  and  it  soon  began  to  appear  that  there  was 
not  that  cordial  co-operation  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  synods 
and  churches  of  the  Northwest  which  had  been  anticipated. 
These  were  not  only  not  satisfied  with  the  action  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  1859,  but  felt  greatly  aggrieved  by  it. 
With  this  feeling  of  disappointment  and  alienation  many  of 
the  old  friends   of  the  New   Albany    Seminary,  in   different 

*  Presbyterian  Magazine,  March,  i860. 


1S59-1861.         UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS.  149 

synods  and  presbyteries,  deeply  sympathized  ;  and  they  deter- 
mined that  they  would  lend  no  helping  hand,  and  send  no 
students,  and  take  no  part  whatever  in  the  movement  at 
Chicago. 

While  some  of  the  synods  took  no  decided  action  adverse 
to  the  Seminary,  still  they  did  not  give  it  a  hearty  endorse- 
ment as  being  their  own  institution.  Two  of  them  did  take 
pronounced  action  against  it.  The  Synod  of  Indiana,  after 
stating  its  grounds  of  dissent  from  the  action  of  the  General 
Assembly  as  regarded  the  Seminary  at  Chicago,  said:  "For 
these  reasons  this  synod  declines  to  recommend  this  Seminary 
as  now  organized  to  the  churches  under  our  care,  preferring  to 
give  our  support  to  other  seminaries  of  the  Church  for  the 
present."  ^  The  Synod  of  Northern  Indiana  said  :  "  The  action 
of  the  General  Assembly  was  not  in  such  consonance  with  our 
views  and  judgment  on  the  subject  as  to  leave  this  synod 
under  any  other  obligations  or  relations  to  the  Seminary  at 
Chicago  than  it  sustains  to  any  other  seminary  under  the  care 
of  the  General  Assembly.'"^ 

As  long  as  this  feeling  of  alienation  and  even  opposition 
lasted,  there  could  of  course  be  no  united  church  in  the  North- 
west from  which  to  draw  either  students  or  funds  for  the 
Seminary  at  Chicago.  And  against  this  discouraging  obstacle 
within  its  own  particular  field  the  Seminary  had  to  struggle 
for  many  years.  With  these  adverse  and  antagonistic  influ- 
ences sending  the  young  men  of  the  surrounding  synods  and 
churches  far  off  to  other  seminaries,  it  was  not  surprising  that 
the  number  of  students  in  this,  the  next  to  the  youngest  of  all 
the  schools  of  the  Church,  continued  for  years  to  be  small. 

Nor  was  this  all.  There  was  a  strong  feeling  of  decided 
hostility  from  outside  circles,  arising  from  the  growing  agita- 
tion of  the  slavery  question.  This  had  now  become  the 
absorbing  topic  of  the  times,  sweeping  all  other  topics  into  its 
vortex  of  fiery  discussion.  The  secular  press,  both  at  Chicago 
and  elsewhere,  let  no  opportunity  pass  to  denounce  the  new 
Seminary,  as  an  institution  founded  in  the  interest  of  southern 
slavery,  and  controlled  by  men  who  were  themselves  in  sym- 

*  Fresbyterian  Expositor,  December,  1859,  p.  694. 


I50  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

pathy  with  the  doctrines  of  the  pro-slavery  party.  Though 
the  charge  was  palpably  false,  it  was  persistently  reiterated. 
Made  at  a  time  when  the  whole  public  mind  of  the  country 
was  in  a  state  of  feverish  excitement  and  distrust,  it  could  not 
fail  to  have  its  effect  and  to  be  injurious  to  the  Seminary, 
besides  being  unjust  to  its  directors,  professors  and  liberal  sup- 
porters, and  most  discouraging  to  the  students  gathered  in  its 
halls.  The  press  teemed  not  only  with  adverse  criticism  of  the 
church  that  had  founded  the  Seminary,  but  with  misrepresen- 
tation, censure  and  personal  abuse  of  the  gentlemen  who,  at 
the  call  of  that  church,  were  working  in  Chicago,  giving  of 
their  time,  talents  and  money  for  the  purpose  of  founding 
what  they  believed  was  destined  to  be  a  great  public  insti- 
tution, of  inestimable  value  to  the  country,  and  one  greatly 
needed  at  this  particular  point. 

Dr.  Rice,  who  had  tried  in  vain  to  correct  and  silence  these 
misrepresentations  through  his  monthly  magazine,  and  who 
had  hitherto  purposely  refrained  from  discussing  such  matters 
in  the  weekly  ministrations  of  his  pastoral  charge,  felt  that  a 
crisis  had  come,  when,  for  the  honor  of  the  Church  and  the 
Seminary,  which  he  and  his  colleagues  represented,  these 
injurious  charges  must  in  some  way  be  met  and  answered. 
Longer  silence  and  forbearance  under  the  unjust  and  repeated 
assaults  would  cease  to  be  a  virtue.  Dr.  Rice  accordingly 
announced  from  his  pulpit,  and  in  the  public  prints,  that  he 
would  deliver  three  lectures  in  his  church  on  the  subject  of 
slavery,  its  character,  its  relation  to  the  Southern  churches 
and  the  true  mode  of  dealing  with  it.  All  persons  who  felt 
any  interest  in  the  subject  were  invited  to  attend.  On  each 
of  the  evenings  when  he  spoke  the  house  was  filled  to  its 
utmost  capacity.  Editors  and  reporters  of  the  secular  press 
were  present,  and  the  lectures  were  listened  to  by  as  intelligent 
an  audience  as  the  city  could  furnish.  One  of  the  daily  papers 
published  the  lectures  as  they  were  given,  and  all  the  papers 
discussed  them  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  their  columns. 

The  discussion  of  Dr.  Rice  was  fair  and  candid  throughout, 
and  all  parties  agreed  that  it  was  masterly.  If  it  did  not  cap- 
ture, it  at  least  had  the  effect  of  silencing  the  enemies'  guns. 


1859-1861.        UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS.  151 

The  public  misrepresentation  ceased.  The  bitter  abuse  was 
turned  into  tacit  admiration  for  the  integrity,  the  courage  and 
the  abihty  of  the  man  who  could  thus  stand  up  in  the  presence 
of  those  openly  opposed  to  him,  and  defend  interests  which  he 
believed  had  been  grievously  misrepresented,  even  when  he 
knew  his  cause  was  not  a  popular  one  in  Chicago.  A  more 
complete  vindication  both  of  himself  and  of  his  colleagues 
and  of  the  great  work  in  which  they  were  engaged  from  the 
aspersions  cast  upon  them  could  not  have  been  desired. 

**As  to  myself,"  he  said  near  the  opening  of  the  first 
lecture,  '*  I  have  not  the  slightest  interest  in  slavery.  I  never 
owned  a  slave,  and  do  not  expect  to.  I  have  resided  and 
labored  in  both  the  slave  holding  and  the  free  states.  I  have 
seen  slavery  as  it  is,  and  have  been  intimately  acquainted  with 
many  slave  holders.  I  have  made  the  subject  one  of  careful 
study  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  have  watched  the  work- 
ings of  the  different  modes  of  dealing  with  it.  It  may  be  sup- 
posed therefore  that  my  opinions  are  definitely  formed.  If  I 
know  myself  at  all,  my  earnest  desire  is  to  see  every  human 
being  as  free  as  I  am ;  and  to  effect  such  an  object,  I  would 
exert  myself  as  earnestly,  on  any  feasible  plan,  as  any  man 
living." 

The  lectures,  together  with  the  several  articles  of  a  news- 
paper controversy  between  Dr.  Rice  and  Rev.  Samuel  Wol- 
cott,  D.  D.,  of  Chicago,  which  grew  out  of  the  lectures,  were 
published  in  pamphlet  form  at  Chicago  in  i860. 

A  letter  addressed  to  the  author  of  this  history  in  answer 
to  inquiries  made  by  him  about  the  early  history  of  the  Semi- 
nary at  Chicago  was  received  from  Rev.  Joshua  Phelps,  D.D., 
of  Santa  Barbara,  California,  in  January,  1886,  which  will  serve 
to  illustrate  some  of  the  peculiar  difficulties  attending  the 
opening  of  the  institution  at  Chicago.  The  extract  from  the 
letter  here  given  will  be  read  with  all  the  greater  interest 
when  it  is  known  that  Dr.  Phelps  was  one  of  the  old  synodical 
Board  of  Directors  at  Chicago ;  and  was  also  a  member  of  the 
new  Board  elected  by  the  Assembly  in  1859,  ^^  which  he 
served  until  the  time  of  his  removal  to  the  Pacific  Coast ;  and 
when  it  is  also  added  that  during  the  whole  time  of  his  double 


152  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

service  no  man  on  the  Boards  rendered  to  the  Seminary  more 
efficient  and  valuable  aid.  He  certainly  had  much  to  do  in 
giving  shape  to  all  the  important  measures  which  came  before 
the  directory  in  those  trying  times. 

Dr.  Phelps  wrote  as  follows: 

"All  these  years  I  have  watched  with  deep  interest  the 
progress  and  prospects  of  our  beloved  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west. How  far  my  poor  efforts  were  made  the  means  of  its  final 
and  full  establishment,  I  do  not  know.  I  only  know  that  in 
the  sincerity  of  my  heart  I  labored  with  other  brethren  from  the 
very  beginning  for  that  end  ;  and  our  work  was  blest  of  the 
great  Head  of  the  Church  in  the  permanent  establishment  of 
that  Seminary,  which  we  doubt  not  will  be  a  rich  blessing  to 
the  Church  and  the  world  till  time  shall  end.  As  a  personal 
friend  of  that  great  and  good  man,  Mr.  McCormick,  I  was  with 
him  and  the  few  friends  of  the  cause  in  their  first  meetings  for 
consultation  and  prayer  in  reference  to  this  object.  I  believe 
that  Mr.  McCormick's  fixed  and  unwavering  faith  in  the 
necessity  of  the  establishment  of  such  an  institution  as  a 
bulwark  against  the  tide  of  fanaticism,  radicalism  and  error  of 
every  form,  which  seemed  to  be  setting  in  upon  the  great 
Northwest,  had  more  to  do  with  the  final  success  of  our  efforts 
than  anything  else.  He  was  always  hopeful,  calm  and  deter- 
mined. Dr.  Rice  had  equal  love  for  the  cause  and  zeal  for 
the  Lord  of  Hosts;  but  he  was  more  impetuous,  and  liable  to 
become  discouraged  by  the  difficulties  with  which  we  were 
often  surrounded,  and  which  at  times  seemed  almost  unsur- 
mountable. 

"  With  the  gathered  hosts  of  God's  people  that  now  fill  the 
churches  of  that  great  city,  and  the  cities  and  country  around, 
and  that  rejoice  in  the  establishment  and  prosperity  of  the 
Seminary,  it  is  hard  to  look  back  and  realize  the  fact  that 
there  were  so  few,  so  very  few,  who  took  any  interest  in  the 
movement.  Indeed  a  large  portion  of  the  leading  men  and 
ministers  either  took  no  interest  in  it,  or  openly  and  actively 
opposed  it.  Under  such  circumstances,  and  with  such  difficul- 
ties and  opposition,  it  was  Mr.  McCormick's  quiet,  but  firm 
faith  and  perseverance  that  carried  the  cause  forward. 


1859-1861.        UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS.  1 53 

**  I  think  the  idea  of  a  theological  seminary  at  Chicago 
originated  with  Mr.  McCormick.  Dr.  Rice  was  a  pastor,  and 
delighted  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  and  the  pastoral 
work.  He  must  write  and  have  his  thoughts  before  the  world 
in  print.  Hence  the  '  Expositor.'  In  this,  however,  he  fol- 
lowed the  lead  of  Dr.  Scott  of  San  Francisco,  who  had  long 
used  the  press  in  that  way,  publishing  a  monthly.  But  Mr. 
McCormick  wanted  something  that  would  come  more  directly 
home  to  the  people  than  such  a  monthly  could  ;  and  hence  (as 
I  suppose,  since  the  change  was  after  I  left)  the  change  to  the 
popular  weekly.  Dr.  Rice  also  saw  the  necessity  of  having 
young  men  for  the  Northwest  educated  in  the  Northwest,  and 
under  proper  conservative  influence.  And  hence  the  idea  of  a 
seminary,  whether  first  suggested  by  Dr.  Rice  or  Mr.  McCor- 
mick, was  cordially  adopted  by  both,  and  to  its  realization  the 
prayers  and  energies  of  both  were  directed." 

A  letter  from  the  venerable  Charles  A.  Spring,  of  Le  Mars, 
Iowa,  written  at  the  close  of  his  eighty-seventh  year,  and 
addressed  to  the  author  under  date  of  June  13,  1887,  throws 
light  upon  the  question  how  Mr.  McCormick  was  led  to  pro- 
pose his  great  endowment  for  the  Seminary.  Mr.  Spring  had 
been  a  member  of  the  synodical  Board  of  Directors,  and  also 
a  most  ef^cient  member  of  the  Assembly  Board.  No  man  in 
Chicago  at  that  time  was  more  deeply  concerned  about  the 
problem  of  a  theological  seminary  and  the  success  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  that  rising  city,  and  he  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  Mr.  McCormick,  enjoying  his  fullest  confidence.  Dr. 
N.  L.  Rice  was  regarded  as  the  man  needed  in  Chicago  at  that 
time  to  further  the  interests  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  but 
the  difficult  thing  to  be  accomplished  was  to  induce  Dr.  Rice, 
then  pastor  of  the  influential  First  Presbyterian  church  of  St. 
Louis,  to  come  to  Chicago  and  take  charge  of  the  small  North 
church,  to  which  he  had  been  called. 

This  was  two  years  or  more  before  the  opening  of  the 
Seminary  in  1859.  The  substance  of  the  letter  of  Mr.  Spring 
is  that,  the  pulpit  of  the  North  church  being  vacant,  and  Dr. 
Rice  having  been  called  to  it,  there  was  great  anxiety  among 
his  friends  in  Chicago  as  to  whether  he  would  come,  in  which 


154  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

Mr.  McCormick  shared  very  deeply.  At  a  conference  between 
Elder  Beebe  of  the  North  church,  Mr.  McCormick  and  Mr. 
Spring  the  probable  answer  of  Dr.  Rice  to  the  call  was  dis- 
cussed. Mr.  Spring  did  not  believe  he  would  come  to  Chicago 
merely  to  be  pastor  of  the  North  church,  but  thought  he  might 
come  to  engage  in  the  larger  work  of  establishing  and  carrying 
on  the  great  interests  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  North- 
west, especially  the  work  of  theological  education.  It  was 
believed  by  all  the  gentlemen  that,  if  Dr.  Rice  could  be  led  to 
understand  the  state  of  things  in  Chicago,  and  to  appreciate  the 
wonderful  field  of  usefulness  to  be  entered  upon  there,  he 
would  regard  the  call  to  the  North  church  in  a  new  light  and 
accept  it,  and  that  nothing  would  have  greater  weight  in 
bringing  hfm  to  such  a  decision  than  the  prospect  of  sufificient 
money  being  secured  to  fully  establish  a  theological  seminary. 
Mr.  Spring  states  that  at  this  conference  Mr.  McCormick 
declared  his  willingness  to  give  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to  found  a  theological  seminary  in  Chicago,  if  Dr.  Rice  would 
come  and  take  hold  of  the  work  of  building  up  the  interests  of 
Presbyterianism  and  Christianity  in  the  Northwest,  and  he 
further  states  it  as  his  belief  that  under  God  this  was  what 
led  Dr.  Rice  to  accept  the  call  to  the  North  church,  from 
which  resulted  the  final  establishment  of  the  Seminary  in 
Chicago  in  1859 

It  was  evident  from  all  views  of  the  case  that  Dr.  Rice  was 
the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  To  all  devout  minds  it 
seemed  that  he  had  a  great  field  before  him  at  Chicago,  that 
divine  providence  had  brought  him  to  this  growing  city  for 
the  accomplishment  of  great  results,  and  that  under  his  wise 
leadership  the  new  Seminary  would  spring  at  once  into  a  wide 
and  vigorous  usefulness.  How  little  could  he  and  his  col- 
leagues, or  Mr.  Spring  or  Mr.  McCormick,  anticipate  what  the 
near  future  had  in  store  for  them. 

The  most  serious  and  trying  experience  by  far  through 
which  the  Seminary  had  to  pass  in  these  early  years  of  its 
Chicago  history  was  the  removal  of  Dr.  Rice  himself  to  New 
York.  No  one  of  his  co-workers  at  Chicago  had  ever  dreamed 
of  such  a  contingency  as  this.     They  had  not  looked  upon  the 


1859-1861.        UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS.  1 55 

Seminary  itself  as  being  more  firmly  anchored  at  Chicago 
than  they  had  looked  upon  Dr.  Rice  as  being  fast  anchored  there 
with  it,  at  least  for  many  years  to  come.  If  the  professors  who 
had  cast  in  their  lot  with  him  could  have  foreseen  that  in  two 
years  he  would  leave  them-  for  another  field  of  labor,  it  is  very 
doubtful  whether  one  of  them  could  have  been  induced  to 
accept  the  position  offered.  This  removal  of  Dr.  Rice  occurred 
at  the  close  of  the  second  session  at  Chicago  in  April,  1861, 
when  as  yet  there  was  no  sign  of  any  loss  of  good  will  towards 
the  institution.  For  the  number  of  new  students  matriculated 
the  second  year  was  seventeen,  being  an  increase  on  1859. 

Dr.  Rice's  unexpected  resignation  of  his  professorship  at 
that  time,  followed  by  his  early  removal  to  New  York  to 
become  pastor  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  church,  to 
which  he  had  been  called  as  successor  of  Dr.  James  W.  Alex- 
ander, fell  as  a  heavy  blow  upon  the  hearts  of  his  fellow  pro- 
fessors, upon  the  Board  of  Directors,  upon  his  admiring  flock 
in  the  North  church,  and  upon  all  the  friends  of  the  Seminary 
in  the  Northwest,  who  looked  upon  him  as  their  foremost  man. 
When  his  colleagues  first  learned  of  his  fixed  purpose  to  leave 
them,  and  to  leave  the  young  Seminary,  they  were  filled  with 
inexpressible  surprise  and  dismay.  It  was  hard  to  throw  off 
the  feeling  that  a  sad  calamity  had  fallen  both  upon  the  Semi- 
nary and  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Chicago.  For  they  saw 
with  the  utmost  distinctness,  what  subsequent  events  proved 
to  be  true,  that  an  element  of  uncertainty  was  thereby  intro- 
duced into  the  problem  of  the  Seminary,  where  all  had  been 
assurance  before,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  fill  Dr.  Rice's 
place  with  any  other  man,  and  that  with  the  chair  of  Theology 
vacant  the  new  Seminary  could  not  prosper. 

On  meeting  for  consultation  the  first  impulse  of  the  profes- 
sors, as  expressed  by  Dr.  Scott,  the  youngest  of  the  number, 
was  to  follow  Dr.  Rice's  resignation  with  their  own.  But  this 
was  at  once  set  aside  as  being  unjust  to  the  General  Assembly 
which  had  elected  them,  and  unfaithful  to  the  great  cause 
which  had  brought  them  to  Chicago.  They  all  agreed  on 
second  thought,  that  the  clear  call  of  duty  was  to  stand  where 
God's  providence  and  the  Church  had   placed  them,  and  to 


156        ^     HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

carry  on  the  work  of  the  Seminary  to  the  extent  of  their 
ability.  They  held  an  earnest  interview  with  Dr.  Rice  for  the 
purpose  of  changing,  if  possible,  his  decision. 

Dr.  Rice's  main  reason  for  resigning  was  that  his  health  was 
breaking  down  under  his  multiplied  and  accumulating  labors. 
He  had  been  for  many  years,  in  all  his  former  pastorates  in 
Kentucky,  at  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,  bearing  an  extraordi- 
nary burden  of  active  work.  It  had  only  been  increased  by 
coming  to  Chicago.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  he  was  pastor,  editor, 
public  lecturer,  writer  of  books  and  theological  teacher.  His 
physicians  had  told  him  plainly  that  his  powers  would  soon 
give  way  under  such  incessant  work,  and  that  an  immediate 
change  was  necessary.  He  had  been  doing  for  a  long  time  the 
work  of  two  or  three  men.  The  fact  was  patent  to  all  that  the 
burden  must  somehow  be  lightened. 

His  colleagues  at  once  volunteered  to  share  his  labors  to  the 
whole  measure  of  their  ability,  by  assisting  him  in  the  pulpit, 
in  the  lecture  room  of  the  Seminary  and  on  the  editorial  staff 
of  his  paper.  They  felt  that  he  needed  rest,  and  they  offered 
to  go  forward  with  the  duties  devolving  on  him  until  he  gained 
the  requisite  recuperation.  His  purpose,  however,  could  not 
be  changed.  To  all  arguments  and  expostulations  Qr.  Rice's 
answer  was  that  he  had  studied  the  whole  problem  thoroughly 
and  had  made  up  his  mind  fully  that  God  was  calling  him  to 
another  field,  that  it  was  best,  all  things  considered,  that  he 
should  go,  and  that  as  regarded  the  Church  and  the  Seminary 
his  friends  and  his  colleagues  at  Chicago  might  feel  the  utmost 
confidence  that  God  was  on  the  throne,  and  that  He  was  able 
to  take  care  of  His  flock  everywhere,  Chicago  not  excepted. 

This  he  said  in  his  farewell  sermon  to  his  own  congregation, 
preached  in  the  spacious  and  beautiful  new  house  of  worship 
at  the  corner  of  Indiana  and  Cass  streets,  which  they  had  just 
completed  for  him  at  large  expenditure.  This  was  certainly 
true  Presbyterian  doctrine,  which  he  had  often  preached  and 
which  neither  his  friends  nor  his  colleagues  could  gainsay  or 
deny,  but  which  nevertheless  it  almost  broke  their  hearts  to 
apply  to  this  particular  case  of  bereavement  at  that  particular 
crisis  in  the  history  of  the  church  and  Seminary.    Nevertheless, 


1859-1861.        UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS.  157 

after  he  was  gone  they  did  not  forget  the  lesson,  and  through 
all  the  dark  days  that  followed  it  gave  them  the  true  con- 
solation. 

At  the  second  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
April  4th,  1861,  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  of  the  committee 
on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Rice,  reported  the  following  minute, 
which  was  adopted  : 

"  Resolved,  ist.  That  we  express,  as  a  Board,  our  unfeigned 
regret  that  Dr.  Rice  has  felt  compelled  to  take  this  step,  and 
that  we  tender  him  our  sympathy  under  the  adverse  provi- 
dences which  have  led  him  to  this  conclusion,  hoping  his 
health  may  be  restored,  his  life  prolonged  and  his  usefulness 
continued  in  the  important  field  upon  which  he  contemplates 
entering. 

2nd.  That,  though  greatly  lamenting  his  removal  from  the 
important  position  he  has  filled  with  such  distinguished  ability 
since  the  organization  of  the  Seminary,  we  will  yet  throw  no 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  resignation. 

3rd.  That,  in  view  of  the  above  fact,  we  ask  the  next 
General  Assembly  to  fill  the  vacancy." 

Mr.  McCormick  was  greatly  disappointed  at  Dr.  Rice's 
decision  to  leave  Chicago.  He  had  been  largely  instrumental 
first  in  securing  and  then  in  maintaining  Dr.  Rice  as  pastor 
of  the  North  church,  himself  contributing  a  large  portion  of 
the  five  thousand  dollar  salary  on  which  Dr.  Rice  had  been 
induced  to  accept  the  position.  He  had  also  been  bearing  the 
chief  financial  burden  of  sustaining  the  "  Presbyterian  Exposi- 
tor "  (which  Dr.  Rice  at  first  published  as  a  monthly  and  then 
as  a  weekly  paper),  deeming  that  the  Presbyterian  Church 
needed  at  this  point  such  an  advocate.  Mr.  McCormick  had 
given  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  in  the  firm  belief  that  the 
whole  Presbyterian  Church,  as  well  as  the  Northwest,  demanded 
here  the  establishment  of  a  theological  seminary  fully  equipped, 
and  in  the  belief  that  Dr.  Rice,  above  all  other  men  in  the 
North  or  West,  was  the  man  to  carry  forward  such  an  institu- 
tion. He  had  no  other  thought  than  that  Dr.  Rice  would 
remain  for  many  years  and  accomplish  the  one  greatest  work 
of  his  useful  and  laborious  life. 


158  HISTORY  OF  iMcCORAIlCK  SEMINARY. 

But  still  another  unexpected  trial  was  awaiting  the  young 
Seminary  near  at  hand.  Its  energetic  and  much  admired 
professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis,  Dr.  William  M. 
Scott,  who  until  this  time  had  been  doing  double  work  in  the 
lecture  room  and  the  pulpit,  was  stricken  down  by  the  strong 
hand  of  disease.  He  spent  the  spring  and  summer  months  of 
1861  in  a  trip  to  Minnesota  and  an  endeavor  to  regain  his 
rapidly  declining  strength.  He  returned  at  the  opening  of  the 
session  in  September  of  that  year,  apparently  improved,  and 
resumed  his  work  with  his  usual  enthusiasm.  But  in  October 
he  was  compelled  by  the  growing  malady  to  give  up  all 
attempts  at  further  work,  and,  on  the  advice  of  his  physicians 
and  brethren,  he  souo-ht  relief  in  entire  rest,  the  two  remain- 
ing  professors,  Drs.  Lord  and  Halsey,  volunteering  to  carry 
forward  through  the  session  the  instruction  of  his  department. 
With  this  in  view  he  quit  his  work  and,  attended  by  his  family, 
went  to  Princeton,  N.  J.,  to  the  house  of  his  wife's  father,  Dr. 
Charles  Hodge.  But  no  relief  came;  he  continued  to  grow 
worse,  sinking  rapidly,  until  Sabbath,  22nd  of  December,  1861, 
when  death  closed  the  scene. 

Thus  ended  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  career  a  life  signally 
consecrated  to  God  by  earnest,  incessant  and  devoted  labors 
in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  a  life  full  of  usefulness  while  it 
lasted  and  full  of  great  promise  even  to  its  close.  Dr.  Scott 
was  a  nati\e  of  Ohio,  and  a  graduate  of  Jefferson  College,  Pa. 
He  pursued  his  theological  studies  at  Princeton  Seminary,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1846.  For  several  years  he  was  professor 
of  Languages  in  Centre  College  at  Danville,  Ky.,  and  pastor  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  the  same  place  a  part  of  the 
time.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was 
pastor  of  the  Seventh  Presbyterian  church  of  that  city  until 
he  was  elected  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1859  to  a  profes- 
sorship in  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest.  In  this  he  labored 
with  ceaseless  activity  and  self-consuming  zeal  until  stricken 
down  by  the  hand  of  disease  in  the  midst  of  his  labors.  He 
left  a  beloved  and  deeply  sorrowing  wife  and  three  sons. 

When  the  Board  of  Directors  met  in  April,  1862,  a  commit- 
tee was.  appointed  to  draft  a  minute  on  his  death,  of  which  Dr. 


1859-1^61.        UNEXPECTED  CHANGES  AND  TRIALS.  1 59 

Robert  C.  Matthews,  of  Monmouth,  111.,  was  chairman.  Dr. 
Matthews  was  a  son  of  the  venerable  Dr.  John  Matthews,  the 
first  professor  who  had  died  in  the  service  of  the  Seminary, 
while  at  New  Albany.  He  presented  a  full  and  highly  appre- 
ciative testimonial  to  the  life  and  character  of  Dr.  Scott,  which 
was  adopted  and  placed  on  record  by  the  Board  of  Directors, 
a  part  of  which  is  here  quoted  : 

**  While  bowing  with  resignation  to  the  sovereign  will  of 
God,  which  has  thus  terminated  our  connection  as  a  Board 
with  our  beloved  brother,  and  while  awed  and  chastened  by 
the  mysterious  providence  of  God  which  has  so  early  deprived 
our  young  Seminary  of  one  of  its  original  instructors,  w^e  can- 
not refrain  from  expressing,  in  sympathy  with  his  beloved 
family  and  his  many  admiring  friends,  our  own  deep  and  heart- 
felt appreciation  of  his  virtues  as  a  man  and  his  rare  accom- 
plishments as  a  scholar  and  Christian  minister.  It  was  no 
ordinary  standard  of  labor  and  usefulness  which  he  had  set 
before  him  as  the  grand  object  of  life,  and  it  was  with  no  ordi- 
nary diligence,  energy  and  zeal  that  he  pursued  this  object. 

*'  With  a  faith  firmly  fixed  upon  God,  with  a  profound 
study  of  the  truth  of  God  as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures,  with 
an  implicit  and  childlike  confidence  in  the  will  of  God  breath- 
ing itself  forth  in  all  his  prayers,  with  an  earnest  and  energetic 
presentation  of  the  gospel  in  all  his  public  discourses,  w^hich 
made  the  hearer  feel  that  he  spoke  from  the  deepest  experi- 
ences of  his  own  soul  as  well  as  from  the  deep  fountains  of 
divine  truth,  he  stood  as  a  pastor  and  a  preacher  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  ministry.  And  in  each  field  of  his  labors  his  min- 
istry had  been  marked  by  the  most  abundant  and  blessed 
results.  His  praises  and  the  trophies  of  his  influence  were  in 
all  the  churches  where  God  called  him  to  labor. 

"As  a  presbyter  in  all  the  courts  of  the  Church,  from  the 
session  up  to  the  General  Assembly,  but  especially  in  the 
meetings  of  presbytery  and  synod,  his  powder  and  influence 
were  as  signally  displayed  as  in  the  pulpit.  With  an  ardent 
filial  love  for  the  Church  of  his  choice,  with  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  theory  and  practice  of  our  form  of  government 
and  book  of  discipline,  and   with   that  practical   cast   of  mind 


l6o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

which  fitted  him  for  the  administration  of  affairs  and  the  dis- 
patch  of  business,  he  was  an  invaluable  member  of  our  church 
courts,  ready  to  throw  light  on  any  ecclesiastical  question  and 
to  conduct  difficult  cases  to  their  issue.  He  was,  in  fact,  just 
the  man  to  whom  all  eyes  turned  whenever  any  complex  and 
trying  case  arose.  He  took  a  prominent  position  in  this 
sphere  of  labor  in  the  earliest  years  of  his  ministry,  and  he  had 
already  attained  to  stand  amongst  the  most  experienced  and 
wisest  of  the  counsellors  of  the  Church. 

''  As  a  teacher,  both  in  college  and  the  Seminary,  he  was 
laborious,  thorough,  accurate  to  the  last  degree,  and  most 
enthusiastic  in  the  imparting  of  instruction.  His  scholarship 
was  both  accurate  and  extensive,  especially  in  the  classic 
tongues.  His  chief  and  most  loved  study  seemed  to  be  the 
Word  of  God  in  the  original  Hebrew  and  Greek.  And  his  expo- 
sitions in  this  department,  while  they  showed  a  profound 
acquaintance  with  the  sense  of  the  inspired  writers,  were  deliv- 
ered with  so  much  clearness  and  vigor,  both  of  thought  and 
diction,  that  they  not  unfrequently  impressed  his  pupils  or 
hearers  as  with  the  originality  and  freshness  of  newly  discov- 
ered truth.  Indeed  it  was  in  his  grasp  of  truth,  as  exhibited 
both  in  his  pulpit  ministrations  and  in  his  more  private  expo- 
sitions of  God's  Word,  that  Dr.  Scott  presented  what  was  per- 
haps the  most  striking  feature,of  his  intellectual  character,  and 
that  was  the  depth  and  vigor  of  his  mind." 


REV.   CHARLES  ELLIOTT,   D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


CHAPTER  XL 

WORK    OF   THE   TWO    REMAINING   PROFESSORS. 

1861-1863. 


Prospects  of  the  Seminary  in  1861.  Number  of  Students.  Dr.  Krebs  of 
New  York  Elected.  He  Declines.  Drs.  Lord  and  Halsey  Take  the  Four 
Chairs.  Rev.  J.  D.  Pering,  Assistant.  Arrangement  of  the  Double  Work. 
Mr.  McCormick  and  the  Endowment.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 
Action  of  the  Trustees.  Discouragements  to  the  Professors.  Small  Classes. 
Effect  of  the  War  on  the  Seminary.  Examinations  Sustained.  Graduates 
Each  Year.  Testimonial  to  the  Work  of  the  Professors.  Their  Reduced 
Compensation.  Why  Salaries  Reduced.  Spirit  of  the  Two  Professors. 
Their  Donations  to  the  Seminary.  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 
Good  Results.  How  Reached.  The  Law  of  Christian  Work.  Another 
Professor  Elected.  Dr.  Charles  Elliott.  His  Inauguration.  Lamented 
Death  of  Dr.  J.  Q.  Brown.  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice.  His  Services  to  the 
Seminary.  His  Prominence  in  the  Church,  His  Multiplied  Labors.  His 
Character  and  Ability.     Close  of  his  Useful  Life. 

At  the  close  of  the  session  in  April,  1861,  the  institution 
graduated  its  first  class  at  Chicago  with  fourteen  members, 
which  left  sixteen  students  in  the  lower  classes,  to  be  rein- 
forced by  such  new  men  as  might  enter  at  the  beginning  of 
the  next  session.  With  the  removal  of  Dr.  Rice,  the  failing 
health  of  Dr.  Scott  and  the  dark  clouds  of  civil  war  gathering 
portentously  over  the  country,  the  prospect  ahead  of  the  Semi- 
nary seemed  far  from  inviting. 

Acting  upon  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the 
General  Assembly,  at  its  next  meeting,  which  was  held  in 
May,  1861,  elected  Rev.  John  M.  Krebs,  D.D.,  of  New  York, 
to  the  chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology.  Dr.  Krebs, 
however,  declined  the  appointment  in  August,  after  which  the 
executive  committee  requested  the  faculty  to  divide,  as  far  as 

161 


l62  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

they  might  be  able,  the  duties  of  that  chair  among  themselves 
for  the  coming  session,  so  as  to  give  the  students  the  benefit 
of  the  complete  course  of  studies.  When  the  session  opened 
in  September  Dr.  Scott  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  resume 
and  go  forward  with  his  instructions  for  some  six  weeks.  In 
October,  however,  as  has  been  already  stated,  he  was  com- 
pletely disabled  for  further  service,  and  removed  to  Princeton, 
N.  J.,  in  the  hope  of  rest  and  recovery. 

As  soon  as  it  was  found  that  Dr.  Scott  was  no  longer  able 
to  teach,  the  executive  committee  met  and  requested  the  two 
remaining  professors,  Drs.  Lord  and  Halsey,  to  take  charge  of 
this  second  department  of  instruction  left  vacant,  and  to 
carry  it  on  through  the  term  with  their  own  departments, 
as  they  might  be  able.  In  this  emergency  the  two  professors 
agreed  at  once  to  do  what  they  could.  It  was  decided  between 
them  that  Dr.  Lord  should  conduct  the  studies  of  all  the  classes 
in  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  and  that  Dr.  Halsey  should 
have  charge  of  all  the  classes  in  the  department  of  Biblical 
Literature  and  Exegesis,  with  the  assistance  of  Rev.  J.  D. 
Pering  of  the  graduating  class,  who  had  already  been  appointed 
as  a  tutor  in  Hebrew  and  Greek  to  assist  Dr.  Scott  because  of 
his  failing  health. 

It  should  be  stated  in  this  connection  that,  after  the  Semi- 
nary had  failed,  through  the  declinature  of  Dr.  Krebs,  to  get  a 
professor  for  the  chair  of  Theology,  in  1861,  and  after  the 
death  of  Dr.  Scott  about  the  close  of  that  year,  it  was  deemed 
best,  in  consideration  of  the  financial  embarrassments  growing 
out  of  the  war,  that  no  further  efforts  should  be  made  to  elect 
professors  to  the  vacant  chairs.  When,  therefore,  the  Board  of 
Directors  held  its  annual  meeting  on  April  4th,  1862,  the 
following  important  resolutions,  after  due  consideration  of  all 
the  circumstances,  were  adopted : 

"  Whereas,  the  pecuniary  condition  of  the  country  is  such 
as  to  render  it  impracticable  to  raise  funds  from  the  churches 
for  the  Seminary  at  present,  and 

"Whereas,  Mr.  C.  H.  McCormick  has  signified  to  the  Board 
his  willingness  to  have  the  Seminary  carried  on  for  one  or  two 


1861-1863.  WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  163 

years,  if  the  directors  deem  it  to  be  necessary,  with  only  two 
professors.     Therefore, 

*'  Resolved,  That  the  two  professors  be  requested  to  divide 
the  studies  of  the  other  two  chairs  between  them  in  such  a 
manner  as  they  may  think  proper,  and  that  they  be  aided  by  a 
teacher  of  Hebrew  to  be  secured  by  the  executive  committee. 

"  Resolved,  That  so  long  as  no  more  professors  shall  be 
elected  by  the  General  Assembly,  Mr.  McCormick  shall  not  be 
called  upon  for  the  payment  of  the  third  and  fourth  install- 
ments of  his  donation  of  $100,000,  nor  for  the  interest  on  these 
two  installments. 

.  "  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Trustees  be  authorized  and 
requested  to  enter  into  a  written  contract  with  Mr.  McCormick 
agreeably  to  the  spirit  and  intention  of  the  above  resolu- 
tion." ^' 

The  Board  of  Trustees  soon  after  carried  out  these 
instructions  of  the  directory,  by  entering  into  a  written 
agreement  with  Mr.  McCormick  releasing  him  from  the 
obligation  to  pay  the  last  two  installments,  of  $25,000  each,  of 
his  donation,  until  the  chairs  should  be  filled  by  the  General 
Assembly,  and  also  releasing  him  from  payment  of  interest  on 
those  installments,  on  which  up  to  this  time  he  had  been  pay- 
ing interest  as  required  by  his  original  offer.  Prior  to  this 
date  he  had  paid  over  to  the  trustees  the  first  installment  of 
$25,000,  and  at  this  time  stood  ready  to  pay  the  second,  with 
its  accrued  interest. 

The  following  extract  from  the  records  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  under  date  of  April  22nd,  1862,  will  show  the  true 
history  of  the  case,  and  the  spirit  in  which  this  agreement  was 
made.  After  reciting  the  instructions  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
the  document  proceeds : 

"  Now,  therefore,  to  meet  the  present  emergency  by  the 
reduction  of  the  expenses  of  the  institution,  and  to  modify  the 
original  plan  of  operations  as  herein  provided,  it  has  been  pro- 
posed, considered  and  agreed  by  and  between  the  directors  of 
said  Seminary  and  said  McCormick  as  follows,  to  take  effect 
in  case  the  same  should  meet  the  sanction  and  approval  of  the 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  196. 


l64  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

General  Assembly  of   the    Presbyterian    Church    at    its   next 
session  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  May  next :  that  is  to  say; 

'*  First,  that  the  two  professorships  be  left  unfilled  and  that 
the  Seminary  be  carried  on  by  two  professors  for  a  year  or 
two.  Second,  that  during  the  time  the  said  Seminary  is  con- 
ducted by  only  two  professors  the  said  McCormick  shall  have 
'a  suspension  of  the  maturity  of  the  last  two  installments  of 
the  endowment  fund,  as  secured  in  and  by  said  bond,  and  that 
the  same  shall  again  begin  to  run  upon  the  General  Assembly 
filling  said  vacancies  and  installing  the  other  two  professors, 
and  in  the  meantime  said  last  two  installments  shall  bear  no 
interest  whatever.  Third,  that  said  McCormick  may,  if  he 
thinks  proper  to  do  so,  retain  the  second  installment  now  due 
on  said  endowment  as  long  as  this  arrangement  is  continued, 
on  paying  interest  thereon  at  the  rate  of  ten  per  centum  per 
annum  from  this  time. 

''  In  testimony  whereof,  the  said  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  has  hereto  affixed  its 
seal,  by  Wesley  Munger,  its  treasurer,  and  signed  these  pres- 
ents by  Henry  G.  Miller,  its  president  pro  tein.,  and  the  said 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick  has  also  hereto  set  his  hand  and  seal  the 
day  and  year  first  above  written. 

(Signed)  Henry  G.  Miller,  president /r<?  tern. 

Wesley  Munger,  secretary.  C.  H.  McCormick."* 

Thus  unexpectedly  called  of  God,  through  the  voice  of  their 
brethren  of  the  directory,  and  through  those  peculiar  circum- 
stances which  evidently  threw  the  whole  burden  of  instruction 
upon  their  shoulders,  the  two  professors,  with  their  young 
assistant,  resolved  to  gird  on  all  their  armor  and  discharge 
every  duty  to  the  extent  of  their  ability.  They  had  not 
desired  so  much  important  work,  nor  did  they  covet  the 
responsibility  of  sustaining  alone  the  whole  theological  curricu- 
lum. But  now  that  it  was  laid  upon  them  in  the  solemn 
providence  of  God  and  at  the  behest  of  their  brethren  in  the 
management  of  the  institution,  they  felt  that  they  must  stand 
in  their  places  and  do  all  in  their  power  to  train  the  young 
men  thus  committed  to  their  care.     Never  before  had  they 

■'  Records  of  Board  of  Trustees,  pp.  40,  41. 


I86i-i86j.  WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  165 

been  constrained  to  feel  more  deeply  that  their  whole  suffi- 
ciency was  of  God. 

They  had  of  course  to  carry  on  their  work  without  that 
inspiration,  so  grateful  to  the  teacher,  which  springs  from 
numbers.  They  had  the  daily  discouragement  of  small  classes, 
the  whole  attendance  of  students  that  year  being  eleven. 
They  were  compelled  to  see  that  the  Seminary  was  not  grow- 
ing as  the  Church  had  been  led  to  expect  that  it  would  in  its 
Chicago  location,  and  that  under  its  environing  limitations  it 
could  not  grow.  But  they  were  sustained  in  their  work  by  that 
most  powerful  of  all  Christian  motives,  the  conscientious  sense 
of  duty  to  God,  and  by  their  love  to  Christ  and  loyalty  to  truth. 
Inspired  with  these  feelings  they  worked  on,  leaving  results  to 
God  and  hoping  for  a  brighter  day  in  the  history  of  the  Semi- 
nary. This  was  indeed  the  day  of  small  things,  and  it  had 
come  in  a  way  and  at  a  time  which  the  professors  had  never 
anticipated. 

But  the  diminution  in  the  number  of  students  was  not 
owing  mainly  to  the  reduced  siz(^  of  the  faculty.  The  lamented 
death  of  Dr.  Scott  and  the  loss  of  so  distinguished  a 
theological  teacher  as  Dr.  Rice  unquestionably  had  some 
effect  in  keeping  down  the  number  of  matriculates  at  the 
Seminary.  But  in  this  instance  there  was  a  far  deeper  and 
more  potential  cause  at  work  to  prevent  young  men  from  enter- 
ing the  new  institution.  It  was  the  terrible  war  cloud  which 
had  come  up  from  the  South  and  by  this  time  had  thrown  its 
dark  shadow  over  the  entire  nation.  Neither  Dr.  Scott  with 
his  eminent  gifts,  had  it  pleased  God  to  spare  his  life,  nor  Dr. 
Rice  with  his  great  reputation,  had  he  remained  in  the  faculty, 
could  have  drawn  students  to  the  Chicago  Seminary  in  those 
days,  or  perhaps  have  greatly  changed  the  results  which  were 
so  much  influenced  by  the  uncertainty,  alarm,  distrust,  aliena- 
tion and  financial  panic  which  soon  followed  and  agitated  the 
whole  public  mind.  The  thoughts  of  all  men  were  upon  the 
war.  Young  men  everywhere  left  their  books  and  studies,  left 
their  schools,  colleges  and  theological  seminaries  in  response 
to  the  calls  of  the  president  to  take  up  arms  in  defence  of  the 
imperilled   country.     War   was   everywhere    in  the   air.     The 


l66  HISTORY  OF  MCCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

whole  land  was  astir  with  its  loud  notes  of  military  enthusiasm. 
While  young  men  were  leaving  the  plough,  the  work-shop 
and  the  marts  of  trade  for  the  ranks  of  the  gathering  armies, 
it  was  impossible  to  draw  students  to  our  quiet  divinity  halls, 
or  even  to  detain  those  already  there  from  enlisting  in  the 
military  service.  Small  as  was  the  number  of  young  men  in 
the  Seminary,  several  of  them  enlisted  and  remained  in  the 
service  till  the  war  was  over.  There  was  no  option  left  but  to 
be  content  with  small  classes  and  wait  for  a  better  day. 

Nevertheless,  the  two  professors  went  on  with  their  double 
work  through  all  discouragements.  The  full  Seminary  curri- 
culum of  study  was  maintained  unbroken  in  all  the  depart- 
ments. There  was  no  suspension,  no  cessation.  The  classes 
were  regularly  examined  before  a  committee  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  at  the  close  of  each  session,  and  diplomas  of  grad- 
uation were  awarded  to  such  students  of  the  senior  class  as  had 
completed  the  prescribed  studies  of  the  course.  And  some  of 
those  early  graduates,  who  thus,  in  God's  providence,  helped 
the  professors  to  maintain  unb.roken  the  work  of  instruction  in 
the  full  course  of  the  institution,  have  since  risen  to  stand 
among  its  most  distinguished  alumni  by  reason  of  their  useful 
and  long  continued  service  to  the  Church  and  the  country.  It 
is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  through  all  the  adversities  of  those 
trying  times  there  was  no  single  year  in  which  the  Seminary 
did  not  have  a  graduating  class  and  send  out  its  alumni  thor- 
oughly trained  for  their  work. 

At  the  close  of  the  session  in  April,  1862,  the  examining 
committee  made  their  report  to  the  Board  of  Directors  in  ses- 
sion at  that  time,  which  contained  the  following  appreciative 
reference  to  the  double  work  of  the  professors : 

"  The  committee  feel  bound  to  make  mention  of  and  call  the 
attention  of  the  Board  to  the  fact  that,  with  the  exception  of 
the^ first  six  or  seven  weeks  of  the  present  seminary  year,  the 
Rev.  Drs.  Lord  and  Halsey  have,  owing  to  the  death  of  Dr. 
Scott,  their  lamented  colleague,  taken  upon  themselves  and 
borne  the  burden  of  instruction  in  all  the  departments  of  study  ; 
and  your  committee  would  suggest  whether  such  self-denial 
and  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  Seminary  does  not  demand 


1861-1863.         WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  167 

some  specific  action  of  the  Board.  The  committee  would  not 
fail  to  mention  the  valuable  services  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pering,  as 
assistant  instructor  in  Greek  and  Hebrew  during  the  whole 
year.    " 

The  executive  committee,  having  made  the  arrangement 
with  the  two  professors  to  do  the  work  of  the  four  chairs 
at  the  time  of  Dr.  Scott's  removal,  in  their  report  to  the  Board 
mentioned  it  in  the  following  terms : 

"  In  this  great  strait,  Drs.  Lord  and  Halsey  generously 
agreed  with  the  committee  to  add  the  duties  of  the  two  chairs 
now  vacant  to  their  own.  And  the  committee  are  rejoiced  to 
believe  that  each  has  been  enabled  to  meet  the  double  and 
unexpected  service  in  a  way  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  students 
and  to  the  friends  of  the  Seminary."  * 

The  Board  were  so  well  satisfied  with  the  reports  that  they 
passed  a  resolution  requesting  the  two  professors  to  carry  for- 
ward this  double  work  of  instruction,  dividing  it  between 
themselves,  for  another  year,  and  incorporated  in  their  annual 
report  to  the  General  Assembly  the  following  item :  ''  This 
additional  burden  to  their  usual  labors  the  Rev.  Drs.  Lord  and 
Halsey  have  sustained  in  a  manner  so  beneficial  to  the  interests 
of  the  Seminary  as  to  command  the  sincere  gratitude  of  the 
Board,  and  all  who  rejoice  in  the  prosperity  of  the  institution."  f 

It  is  but  just  to  add,  as  showing  the  spirit  which  actuated 
the  professors  under  these  additional  services,  that  they  did  not 
assume  the  burden  in  any  expectation  of  increased  remunera- 
tion. They  felt  that  it  was  a  trying  emergency  in  the  history 
of  the  Seminary,  and  they  were  willing  to  make  any  reasonable 
sacrifice  of  toil  for  the  building  up  of  the  institution,  until 
other  professors  should  come  to  their  relief.  The  writer 
speaks  from  his  own  feeling  at  the  time,  and  believes  he  does 
also  from  that  of  his  colleague,  when  he  says  that  to  them 
both  it  was  a  positive  gratification  to  be  thus  able  to  fill  up  the 
gap  in  the  ranks  of  the  instructors,  and  to  render  a  service 
which  seemed  on  all  sides,  both  among  students  and  directors, 
to  meet  with  so  cordial  an  approval ;  and  that,  too,  without 
any  thought  of  additional  pecuniary  compensation. 

*  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  184,  186.    fMiuutes  of  the  Board,  pp.  196,  197. 


i68  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

On  the  contrary,  as  early  as  the  meeting  of  the  Board 
in  April,  1861,  before  the  death  of  Dr.  Scott,  the  three  profes- 
sors had  agreed  to  a  reduction  of  salary  in  consideration  of  the 
embarrassing  circumstances  of  the  times.  The  salary  on  which 
they  had  accepted  their  chairs  had  been  fixed  by  the  Board  at 
$3,000  per  annum.  But  it  was  soon  found  that  the  $25,000 
with  which  each  chair  had  been  endowed  did  not  yield  an 
income  large  enough  to  pay  that  amount,  and  that  in  the 
existing  condition  of  the  country  it  was  impossible  to  raise 
funds  to  increase  the  endowment  by  an  agency,  as  had  been 
expected.  Therefore  the  three  professors,  in  the  hope  of 
securing  a  successor  to  Dr.  Rice  m  the  chair  of  theology, 
cheerfully  agreed  to  a  proposition  from  the  Board,  at  its  meet- 
ing in  April,  1861,  that  the  salary  of  eacti  from  that  time 
should  be  reduced  to  $2,500,  and  fixed  at  that  sum. 

The  records  of  the  Board  under  that  date  contain  the  fol- 
lowing minute  on  the  subject:  ''Whereas,  the  professors  of  the 
Seminary  have  signified  their  willingness  to  remit,  for  the 
present,  five  hundred  dollars  of  their  prospective  salaries  in 
order  to  enable  this  Board  to  provide  for  the  support  of  the 
fourth  professorship ;  therefore,  resolved,  that  this  Board 
hereby  expresses  its  profound  appreciation  of  the  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary  manifested  by  this  sacrifice  on 
the  part  of  the  professors,  and  tenders  its  sincere  thanks  for 
their  generous  offer."  "^ 

One  year  later,  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  April,  1862, 
when  the  two  professors,  with  Mr.  Bering's  aid,  had  been  carry- 
ing on  upon  this  reduced  salary  the  instruction  of  the  two 
vacant  chairs  in  addition  to  their  own,  they  further  agreed,  out 
of  their  regard  for  the  common  cause  and  in  order  to  help  on 
the  election  of  other  professors,  to  make  another  reduction  of 
$500  each  for  a  single  year,  as  a  donation  to  the  Seminary. 
These  facts  would  not  be  mentioned  were  it  not  that  they  serve 
to  illustrate  the  spirit  of  devotion  to  the  cause  with  which  the 
earlier  teachers  of  the  school  went  on  with  their  work  in  very 
trying  times.  The  Board  recognized  the  service  and  the  sacri- 
fice, and  passed  the  following  resolution: 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  177 


1861-1863.  WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  169 

"Whereas,  the  Rev.  Drs.  Lord  and  Halsey  have  generously 
proposed  to  make  a  donation  of  $500  each  out  of  their  salaries 
of  $2,500  for  the  ensuing  year  and  longer  if  necessary;  there- 
fore, resolved,  that  the  Board  expresses  their  obligations  to  the 
professors  for  the  liberal  offer,  and  that  in  accepting  the  same 
it  is  done  with  the  understanding  that  in  case  professors  shall 
be  elected  to  the  vacant  chairs  by  the  next  General  Assembly 
they  shall  be  elected  at  a  salary  of  §2,000,  to  be  increased  to 
$2,500  as  soon  as  the  financial  condition  of  the  Seminary  will 
justify."^ 

Rich  and  prosperous  as  the  institution  now  is  these  facts  in 
its  early  history  are  sufficient  to  show  that,  like  most  of  our 
schools  of  sacred  learning,  it  has  not  been,  even  in  its  Chicago 
life,  without  its  dark  days  of  trial  and  discouragement. 

The  course  of  instruction  under  the  two  professors  and 
Mr.  Pering  was  carried  forward  successfully  through  the  fourth 
annual  session  at  Chicago,  until  April,  1863,  when  the  closing 
examinations  were  held  in  presence  of  the  visiting  committee. 
The  six  members  of  the  senior  class  were  admitted  to  gradua- 
tion by  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  received  the  usual  diploma, 
with  the  Board's  approval,  as  having  completed  all  the  pre- 
scribed studies.  The  Board  at  that  meeting  in  April,  1863, 
passed  a  resolution  requesting  the  General  Assembly  to  elect  a 
professor  to  one  of  the  vacant  chairs,  that  of  Biblical  Literature 
and  Exegesis.  In  its  annual  report  to  the  General  Assembly 
the  Board  also  made  mention  of  the  work  of  the  professors 
during  the  preceding  year,  as  follows : 

*'  It  affords  the  Board  great  satisfaction  to  find  that  the  two 
excellent  professors  have  been  enabled  to  discharge  the  double 
duty  still  devolved  on  them  with  greater  ease,  and,  if  possible, 
Avith  greater  acceptance  and  advantage  to  the  students  than 
during  the  preceding  year.  They  are  entitled  to  the  gratitude 
of  the  whole  Church  for  their  untiring  and  successful  labors."t 

It  would  not  be  just  to  pass  from  this  part  of  the  history 
without  referring  to  a  subsequent  action  of  the  Board  in  regard 
to  these  extra  services  of  the  two  professors.  Dr.  Halsey  was 
relieved  of  double  work  by  the  election  of  Dr.  Charles  Elliott 

•Minutesof  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  195,  196.        t  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  p.  212. 


I/O  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

to  the  chair  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis  in  1863.  But 
Dr.  Lord  continued  in  his  double  work  until  the  election  of 
Dr.  MacMaster  in  1866.  We  must,  therefore,  anticipate  the 
course  of  events  so  far  as  to  record  at  this  point  the  resolution 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  its  annual  meeting  in  April,  1869. 
A  committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  J.  G.  Monfort,  D.D.,  Rev. 
D.  C.  Marquis  and  Judge  Lincoln  Clark,  had  been  appointed  at 
the  preceding  annual  meeting  to  consider  and  report  on  the 
subject  of  compensation  to  the  professors. 

They  presented  the  following  in  1869,  which  was  adopted: 
''  The  committee  to  report  in  regard  to  the  proper  remunera- 
tion for  extra  services  rendered  by  the  professors  in  teaching 
the  classes  in  cases  where  there  have  been  vacant  professorships 
report  that  they  find  that  Dr.  Halsey,  after  the  resignation  of 
Dr.  Scott,  gave  instruction  in  the  vacant  department  from 
October  15,  1861,  to  the  end  of  the  year  in  April,  1863,  nearly 
two  years ;  and  that  Dr.  Lord  gave  full'instruction  in  theology 
after  Dr.  Rice's  resignation  for  five  years,  to  April,  1866,  and 
also  for  a  half  year  after  the  death  of  Dr.  MacMaster  in  Decem- 
ber, 1866. 

"  The  services,  rendered  by  Drs.  Halsey  and  Lord  were 
approved  by  the  Board,  and  the  sum  saved  to  the  institution 
amounts  to  $18,750.  These  services  were  in  addition  to  the 
regular  instruction  of  their  own  classes.  The  Board  is  not  able 
to  give  these  brethren  a  full  remuneration  for  the  extra  labor. 

"  It  is  recommended  that  Dr.  Halsey  be  allowed  one  thou- 
sand dollars  ($1,000),  and  Dr.  Lord  twenty-seven  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  ($2,750),  or  $500  per  year  for  each  year  of  extra 
labor,  with  interest  from  the  first  of  September,  1868,  until 
paid."  " 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  May,  1863,  held 
in  Peoria,  111.,  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Directors  for  another 
professor  in  the  Seminary  was  brought  before  the  Assembly  in 
the  following  item  of  the  annual  report,  viz.:  ''The  Board, 
although  not  without  hesitation,  lest,  in  consequence  of  the 
present  depreciated  value  of  money,  they  may  be  unable  to 
furnish  an  adequate  support,  respectfully  request  the  Assembly 

♦Minutes  oi  the  Board  of  Directors,  p  347 


1861-1863.  WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  171 

to  fill  one  of  the  vacant  chairs  in  the  Seminary,  viz.,  that  of 
Bibhcal  Literature  and  Exegesis."  Accordingly  on  Monday, 
June  1st,  nominations  having  been  made  during  the  previous 
week,  the  Assembly  proceeded  to  the  election.  Thereupon  the 
Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.D.,  at  that  time  professor  of  Ancient 
Languages  in  the  Miami  University,  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  was 
unanimously  elected  professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exe- 
gesis. 

Dr.  Elliott  signified  his  acceptance  of  the  position  during 
the  summer,  and  removed  to  Chicago,  with  his  family,  in  time 
for  the  opening  of  the  session.  A  called  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  was  held  in  the  North  Presbyterian  church  of 
Chicago  on  the  loth  of  September,  1863,  for  the  purpose  of 
inaugurating  the  new  professor.  Dr.  Elliott  subscribed  the 
constitutional  pledge  in  presence  of  the  Board,  and  delivered 
his  maugural  address,  which  w^as  highly  appropriate  to  the 
occasion.  It  w^as  on  the  theme,  "  Biblical  Exegesis  and  the 
Intellectual  and  Moral  Qualifications  of  the  Exegete."  Rev. 
W.  W.  Harsha  on  the  part  of  the  Board  delivered  the  charge 
to  the  professor,  and  the  service  was  closed  with  prayer  by  the 
president  of  the  Board,  Rev.  R.  G.  Thompson. 

The  review  of  this  most  trying  period  in  the  history  of  the 
Seminary  must  not  be  closed  without  some  mention  of  the 
death  of  the  lamented  Dr.  James  Caldwell  Brown,  who  for 
years  had  been  one  of  the  most  efficient  members  of  the  Board 
of  Directors,  and,  from  the  annual  meeting  of  1862,  its  presi- 
dent. No  one  of  all  the  directory  had  rendered  more  valuable 
services  to  the  cause  of  the  Seminary.  He  was  one  of  the 
early  directors  on  the  synodical  Board,  from  1857,  and  w^as  also 
a  constituent  member  of  the  new  Board  elected  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  1859.  From  the  first  he  had  the  cause  of  the 
Northwestern  Seminary  on  his  heart,  and  was  scarcely  ever 
absent  from  a  meeting  of  its  directors.  He  resigned  his 
pastorate  at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  which  had  been  long  and 
most  successful,  that  he  might  become  general  agent  of  the 
Seminary,  and  in  the  winter  of  1860-61  he  w^ent  to  New  York 
that  he  might  there  enter  on  the  work. 

But  the  time  was  inauspicious.    The  national  troubles  blasted 


172  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

all  prospects  of  raising  money.  After  a  few  months  of  fruitless 
efforts  in  the  work  Dr.  Brown  resigned  it,  and  accepted  tem- 
porary charge  of  one  of  the  churches  of  St.  Louis,  w^here  a 
revival  of  religion  soon  attended  his  labors.  He  then  accepted 
a  similar  call  to  South  Bend,  Indiana,  where  his  labors  were 
blessed  in  like  manner  with  a  spiritual  awakening.  While  at 
that  place,  and  wholly  unexpectedly  to  himself,  he  was  elected 
chaplain  to  one  of  the  Indiana  regiments  then  in  active  service 
in  the  South.  He  joined  this  regiment  in  May,  1862,  and  was 
with  it  in  Tennessee,  Mississippi  and  Alabama  until  stricken 
down  by  sickness  and  sent  North  to  recuperate.  He  could, 
however,  only  reach  Paducah,  Ky.,  w^here  he  died  in  July, 
1862,  at  about  the  age  of  forty-seven. 

Dr.  Brown  was  a  noble  example  of  the  true  and  faithful  min- 
ister of  Christ.  He  was  widely  known  all  over  Northern  Indiana 
as  one  of  the  most  faithful  of  pastors  and  evangelists.  He  had 
been  the  means  of  converting  men  to  Christ  through  his  whole 
ministerial  life.  He  had  built  up  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Valparaiso,  and  preached  incessantly  through  all  the  surround- 
ing region.  His  ministry  seemed  a  perpetual  revival.  His 
private  library  of  between  three  and  four  hundred  volumes  he 
left  as  a  legacy  to  the  seminary  he  loved  so  well. 

In  their  annual  report  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1863 
the  Board  of  Directors  made  mention  of  his  great  loss  to  the 
Seminary  and  of  his  sterling  character,  in  the  following  tender 
and  well-deserved  memorial  : 

"  It  is  with  deep  regret  that  the  Board  report  the  death  of 
their  president  elected  a  year  ago,  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Brown,  D.D. 
He  was  also  agent  for  the  Seminary,  but,  by  arrangement  with 
the  executive  committee,  had  intermitted  the  work  of  that 
ofifice  soon  after  commencing  it,  in  the  early  winter  of  1860- 
1861,  owing  to  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country.  Dr.  Brown 
was  an  earnest  Christian,  an  unusually  popular  and  successful 
missionary  and  pastor.  His  was  a  consuming  zeal  in  his  Mas- 
ter's work.  Few  missionary  and  pastoral  records,  if  any,  will 
compare  with  his  of  more  than  twenty  years  in  one  field  of 
Northern  Indiana.  And  no  doubt  his  excessive  zeal  for  the 
spiritual    and    physical  welfare  of   our    country's    soldiers,    to 


1861-1863.  WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  1/3 

whose  service  as  a  regimental  chaplain  he  was  appointed, 
wholly  without  solicitation,  was  the  immediate  occasion  of  his 
death.  We  sorrow  that  we  shall  see  the  face  of  this  valued 
brother  no  more  in  our  annual  convocations,  or  in  our  more 
frequent  committee  interviews,  upon  all  of  which  he  faithfully 
attended.  But  our  grief  is  allayed  by  the  thought  that  our 
loss  is  his  gain."  "^ 

In  a  preceding  chapter  of  this  history  it  has  been  shown 
that  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice  was  largely  instrumental  in  inducing 
the  General  Assembly  of  1859  to  fix  the  permanent  location  of 
the  Seminary  at  Chicago.  Although  his  personal  connection 
with  the  institution  was  unexpectedly  terminated  in  1861,  after 
only  two  sessions  of  instruction,  still  his  name  had  become  so 
intimately  identified  with  its  history  that  it  seems  suitable  to 
spread  upon  these  pages  a  more  distinctive  account  of  his  emi- 
nent ability  and  services  than  has  yet  been  given.  Dr.  Rice's 
removal,  at  the  time  it  occurred,  was  felt  to  be  a  great  blow  to 
the  growth  of  the  Seminary.  Still  he  felt  sure  of  its  final 
success,  and,  though  absent,  he  continued  to  feel  an  interest  in 
its  welfare.  In  1863,  when  Mr.  Ewing,  as  agent  of  the  Semi- 
nary, visited  New  York  in  its  behalf,  Dr.  Rice  rendered  an 
important  service  by  opening  the  way  in  his  own  congregation 
and  in  others,  through  which  Mr.  Ewing  was  able  to  raise  the 
large  fund  needed  for  the  erection  of  the  first  building  of  the 
Seminary.  At  that  particularly  critical  time  in  public  affairs 
this  money  could  scarcely  have  been  obtained  except  for  Dr. 
Rice's  efficient  assistance. 

When  Dr.  Rice  was  called  to  Chicago  in  1858  to  take  the 
pastoral  charge  of  the  North  Presbyterian  church,  he  came 
with  a  distinct  pledge  from  Mr.  McCormick  that  the  latter 
would  give  to  the  General  Assembly  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  on  con- 
dition that  it  was  permanently  located  in  that  city.  Dr.  Rice 
had  already  become  widely  known  to  the  entire  Church  as  one 
of  its  leading  representative  men.  He  was  born  in  Garrard 
county,  Kentucky,  in  1807,  and  educated  at  Centre  College, 
Danville,  where  he  also  studied  theology   for  a  time,  and  was 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1S63,  p.  99. 


174  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

then  licensed  to  preach.  After  a  more  thorough  course  of 
theological  training  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  he  returned  to  his 
native  state.  Here  the  first  years  of  his  ministry  were  spent  in 
the  threefold  work  of  the  pastoral  charge,  the  teaching  of  a 
classical  academy  and  the  editorial  chair  of  a  religious  newspa- 
per. While  engaged  in  this  early  work  at  Bardstown,  Ky., 
and  then  at  Paris,  and  while  yet  quite  a  young  man,  he  con- 
ducted two  public  discussions  with  prominent  men  of  the  times, 
notably  the  one  with  Rev.  Alexander  Campbell,  which  gave 
him  a  wide  reputation  in  all  parts  of  the  land,  not  only  as  a 
ready  and  skilful  debater,  but  as  a  logician  of  the  first  order. 
From  Kentucky  he  was  called  in  1844  to  the  pastoral  care 
of  the  Central  Presbyterian  church  of  Cincinnati,  and,  after  nine 
years  of  successful  labor  in  that  city,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
Second  Presbyterian  church  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1853,  where 
he  continued  until  his  removal  to  Chicago.  In  each  of  these 
important  pastorates  he  carried  on  at  the  same  time  the  work 
of  editing  a  religious  journal,  as  he  had  done  through  his  ear- 
lier ministry  in  Kentucky.  While  engaged  with  these  ofificial 
duties  Dr.  Rice  often  delivered  public  lectures,  and  yet  found 
time  to  enrich  our  religious  literature  with  many  valuable  vol- 
umes from  his  pen.  These  successive  popular  volumes,  written 
in  an  attractive  style,  on  important  practical  topics  and  ques- 
tions of  the  day,  together  with  his  four  great  public  debates, 
some  of  which  were  published,  served  to  keep  his  name  con- 
stantly before  the  people  as  a  recognized  leader  and  represen- 
tative of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  especially  in  the  Western 
States,  where  the  greater  part  of  his  ministry  was  passed. 
Even  more  than  his  able  and  eloquent  sermons,  they  gave  him 
a  wide  and  deservedly  high  reputation  in  all  parts  of  the  nation. 
Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  in  reviewing  one  of  Dr.  Rice's  discussions, 
in  the  *'  Princeton  Review,"  said  :  "  Woe  to  the  man  who 
engages  in  debate  with  Dr.  Rice.  So  keen  in  argument  and 
clear  in  logic  is  he,  so  wary  and  watchful,  that  if  his  opponent 
reveals  one  vulnerable  point  he  will  find  it  and  gain  the  vic- 
tory." This  early  judgment  as  to  his  ability  was  confirmed  by 
all  the  debates  and  controversies  of  his  subsequent  years.  It 
may  be  questioned  whether,  in  all  our  history,  any  man  has 


1861-1863.  WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  175 

» 
appeared  who,  in  quickness  and  fertility  of  resources  in  public 
debate,  can  be  named  as  his  superior.      In  1855   Dr.  Rice  was 
elected   moderator  of  the   General  Assembly   of  the   Presby- 
terian Church  at  its  meeting  in  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

With  these  antecedents  of  honorable  and  useful  work  in 
other  fields,  and  with  a  reputation  for  eminent  and  versatile 
ability,  not  exceeded  perhaps  by  any  one  in  the  Western 
Church,  and  by  few  indeed,  if  any,  in  the  East,  of  that  date,  Dr. 
Rice  had  entered  with  the  highest  hopes  upon  his  threefold 
work  at  Chicago,  as  pastor  of  the  North  church,  professor  of 
theology  in  the  Seminary  and  editor  of  the  "  Presbyterian 
Expositor."  But  here  his  long  overworked  bodily  frame  soon 
showed  signs  of  giving  way.  He  had  taxed  his  strength  too 
much.  In  1861  he  received,  and  at  once  accepted,  a  call  to 
succeed  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander  in  the  important  pastorate  of 
the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  church  of  New  York.  He  was 
at  first  very  reluctant  to  leave  his  important  position  and  work 
at  Chicago  after  so  brief  a  trial  of  it.  But  he  hoped  that  a 
change  of  place  and  a  change  of  labor,  in  going  to  the  East, 
would  soon  restore  his  enfeebled  health. 

It  may  here  be  stated,  though  anticipating  somewhat  the 
order  of  events,  that  Dr.  Rice  continued  to  fill  the  pulpit 
of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Church,  with  his  accustomed  vigor,  until 
1867,  when  his  strength  gave  way  and  he  was  compelled 
to  resign  the  charge.  He  retired  for  rest  and  quiet  to  a  farm 
in  New  Jersey,  where  he  remained  for  about  a  year.  When 
sufficiently  restored  to  health  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Westminster  College,  at  Fulton,  Mo.,  at  the  same 
time  taking  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  that  place. 
In  this  double  work  he  continued,  with  much  acceptance  to 
both  the  church  and  college,  until  1874,  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  chair  of  Sytematic  Theology  in  the  theological  seminary  at 
Danville,  Kentucky. 

This  institution  was  near  the  place  where  he  had  commenced 
his  early  ministry,  and  it  proved  to  be  the  scene  of  his  last 
earthly  labors.  At  the  close  of  the  session  of  1877  he  was 
much  broken  down  in  health,  and  he  continued  to  decline 
daily  until  June  nth   of  that  year,  when,  with  a  mind  full  of 


1/6  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

peace  and  joy,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age,  he  was 
released  from  toil  and  entered  into  everlasting  rest.  In  1832  he 
had  been  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Catherine  P.  Burch, 
eldest  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  K.  Burch,  of  Kentucky. 
She  survived  him,  being  with  him  in  his  last  moments.  He 
left  four  daughters  and  one  son,  Professor  John  Rice,  of  West- 
minster College,  at  Fulton,  Missouri. 

This  brief  record  of  the  life  and  multiplied  labors  of  Dr.  Rice 
is  sufificient,  without  words  of  eulogy,  to  show  the  spirit  and 
character  of  the  man;  what  he  was,  what  he  aimed  to  do  and 
what,  by  the  grace  of  God,  he  was  able  to  accomplish.  It 
is  not  often  that  a  servant  of  God,  however  devoted,  or  emi- 
nent in  gifts  and  attainments,  is  enabled  to  do  so  much  in  ono 
brief  life  ;  to  fill  so  large  a  place  in  the  thoughts  of  his  contem- 
poraries, to  extend  his  influence  over  so  wide  a  region  and  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  so  many  different  people.  It  was  said  of 
him  that  "  he  impressed  all  who  heard  him  with  a  sense  of  his 
power.  He  was  great  in  intellect,  great  in  labors,  great  in 
goodness.  His  most  characteristic  mental  feature  was  the 
logical  faculty.  Closely  connected  with  this  was  his  well-nigh 
unrivalled  power  of  analysis.  He  knew  men,  and  how  to  reach 
their  hearts.  He  was  also  large-hearted,  generous,  fervent,  the 
highest  style  of  a  Christian  man." 

The  record  of  his  life  shows  how  fully  Dr.  Rice  was  identi- 
fied with  the  whole  movement  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
during  the  period  of  his  active  ministry,  which,  from  the  date 
of  his  licensure  in  1828,  embraced  some  forty-eight  years,  most 
of  which  were  spent  in  the  West.  This  was  the  very  period  of 
growth  and  development  of  our  Church  in  the  vast  region 
of  the  Western  and  Northwestern  States.  He  threw  himself, 
soul  and  body,  into  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  into  the  work 
of  popular  and  theological  education  as  connected  with  it. 
There  was  probably  not  another  man  in  all  the  region  who, 
during  these  years,  in  the  several  spheres  of  his  influence 
exerted  at  different  points,  contributed  more  to  the  success  and 
enlargement  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  the  public  esti- 
mation he  came  to  be  regarded  as  the  yery  exponent,  represen- 
tative and  defender  of  the  denomination  to  which  he  belonged. 


1861-1863.  WORK  OF  REMAINING  PROFESSORS.  1 77 

Four  of  the  great  centers  of  population  in  our  country, 
Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  Chicago  and  New  York,  felt  in  succession 
the  attractive  power  of  his  pulpit  eloquence  and  the  mag- 
netism of  his  personal  presence,  until  thousands  of  people,  not 
only  at  these  points,  but  all  over  the  land,  had  heard  the  gospel 
from  his  lips.  Seldom  has  there  been  a  popular  preacher  who 
put  more  of  Scripture  exegesis  and  of  sound  doctrine  into  his 
discourses,  or  did  it  in  a  more  attractive  style.  Not  content 
with  the  pulpit  alone  he  preached  that  same  gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God,  **  God  sovereign  and  man  free,"  through  the 
weekly  press,  through  the  popular  lecture,  through  the  bound 
volume,  through  the  theological  class  room  and  even  in  the 
public  debate.  A  thorough  theologian,  a  trusted  expounder 
of  the  doctrines  ^and  polity  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  an 
attractive 'Scriptural  preacher  whom  men,  cultivated  or  uncul- 
tivated, never  tired  of  hearing,  a  skilful  debater  equal  to  any 
occasion  and  ready  for  any  opponent,  a  terse,  idiomatic,  inci- 
sive writer,  Dr.  Rice  was  at  all  times  a  commanding  figure 
before  the  public,  recognized  on  all  sides  as  one  of  the  thinkers 
and  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  generation.  His  life  was  glorious 
in  its  usefulness  and  blessed  in  its  end.  When  he  was  gone  the 
Church  felt  that  ''  a  prince  and  a  great  man  had  fallen." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  FIRST  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED. 

I 863- I 864. 


Important  Changes  in  1863.  Services  of  Mr.  Ewing.  A  Difficult  Under- 
taking. Conditions  to  be  Fulfilled.  Limits  in  Time  of  Building.  An 
Extension  of  Time  Asked  and  Granted.  Action  of  Board  of  Directors. 
Obstacles  Caused  by  the  War.  Mr.  Ewing  Appointed  Agent.  Visits  New 
York.  Confers  with  Mr.  Sheffield.  Favorable  Results.  New  York  and  Dr. 
Rice.  Success  of  Mr.  Ewing  in  Raising  Sufficient  Money  for  a  Building. 
Renewed  Offers  of  the  Land  by  the  Original  Donors.  Another  Offer  of  a 
Site  at  Hyde  Park.  Action  of  Board  of  Directors.  Mr.  Ewing  Secures  the 
Original  Donation.  Sheffield  and  Ogden.  Lill  and  Diversy  Renew  Their 
Gift.  Accepted  by  the  Board.  The  Building  Begun.  Finished  by  the 
Close  of  1863.  Occupied  by  the  Seminary  in  February,  1864.  A  Great  Boon 
to  the  Seminary.  Debt  of  Gratitude  to  Mr.  Ewing.  Thanks  of  the  Board. 
Joy  of  Students  and  Professors.     Incident  of  Mr.  Vance. 


The  year  1863  formed  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Semi- 
nary. This  year  secured  for  it  what  it  never  had  before  at 
this  location,  a  permanent  home  of  its  own.  Hitherto  the 
instruction  of  the  school  had  been  conducted  in  rented  houses 
at  three  different  points  in  the  city.  For  the  first  two  sessions 
the  Seminary  occupied  a  spacious  building  at  the  corner  of 
Clark  and  Harrison  streets,  which  had  been  a  hotel.  The  next 
session  it  moved  to  two  adjoining  brick  dwelling  houses  at  the 
corner  of  Illinois  and  Pine  streets,  on  the  North  Side.  During 
the  fourth  session,  and  for  nearly  all  of  the  fifth,  the  large 
basement  rooms  of  the  new  North  Presbyterian  church,  at  the 
corner  of  Indiana  and  Cass  streets,  were  used  for  the  general 
purposes  of  the  institution,  and  the  students  roomed  and 
boarded  with  a  family  near  by.  On  the  6th  of  February,  1864, 
wi<:hin  two  months  of  the  close  of  the  fifth  annual  session,  the 

178 


REV.  FIELDING  N.  EWING. 


1863-1S64.      FIRST  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.       *  179 

students  moved  out  from  the  city  to  occupy  their  new  quarters 
in  the  fine  large  building  which  had  been  erected  on  the  Semi- 
nary grounds  during  the  year  1863. 

The  change  was  an  important  one  for  the  Seminary  and  for 
all  interested  in  it.  It  was  the  fulfillment  of  certain  conditions 
connected  with  the  original  donation  of  the  valuable  grounds 
on  which  the  new  edifice  was  erected,  and  it  was  the  pleasant 
realization  to  professors,  students  and  all  friends  of  the  institu- 
tion of  the  fact  that  it  was  no  longer  a  wanderer,  without  any 
habitation  that  could  be  called  its  own.  It  had  found  at  last 
a  settled  home  and  become  heir  to  a  large  estate.  The  succes- 
sive steps,  not  without  difficulty,  by  which  this  desirable  result 
was  accomplished,  deserve  a  distinct  recital  in  this  history. 

The  one  person  to  whom  the  Seminary  stands  mostly 
indebted  for  effecting  this  important  change  and  securing  for 
it  a  comfortable  home  in  a  building  of  its  own,  was  the  Rev. 
Fielding  N.  Ewing,  of  Chicago,  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  from  its  organization  under  the  act  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  1859,  who  had  also  been  a  member  of  the 
synodical  Board  at  Chicago  from  1857.  All  honor  is  due  to  the 
memory  of  Mr.  Ewing  for  the  zeal,  the  energy,  the  admirable 
skill  and  the  complete  success  with  which,  under  the  most 
unpropitious  and  difficult  circumstances,  he  carried  through 
the  work  of  raising  the  large  sum  of  money  required  to  erect 
this  first  building  in  time  to  fulfill  the  conditions  stipulated  by 
the  donors  of  the  land.  This  was  at  the  time  of  a  crisis  in  the 
life  of  the  nation  ;  and  there  was  a  crisis,  too,  in  the  life  of  the 
Seminary,  on  which  its  whole  future  depended.  It  may  be 
questioned  whether  any  other  man  then  known  to  the  Board  of 
Directors  could  have  accomplished  the  work  then  assigned  to 
Mr.  Ewing,  or  have  done  it  with  a  success  so  complete. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  October,  1859, 
the  executive  committee  reported  that  they  had  obtained 
from  Messrs.  William  B.  Ogden,  Joseph  E.  Sheffield  and 
others,  and  from  Messrs.  William  Lill  and  Michael  Diversy,  an 
offer  of  twenty-five  acres  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  the  city 
for  the  site  of  a  theological  seminary,  under  certain  expressed 
conditions,   which  were  regarded  as  reasonable  and    advanta- 


l8o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY.      - 

geous.  On  the  next  day  the  Board  adopted  the  following 
minute,  offered  by  Dr.  Phelps,  accepting  the  proposals  of  these 
gentlemen : 

"  I.  'Resolv^ed,  That  the  Board  approve  the  action  of  the 
executive  committee  in  reference  to  a  site  for  the  Seminary. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  the  Board  accept  the  offer  of  Messrs. 
Ogden,  Sheffield  and  others,  and  of  Messrs.  Lill  and  Diversy, 
of  the  amount  of  twenty-five  acres,  more  or  less,  as  the  site  for 
the  Seminary,  on  the  terms  mentioned  in  their  proposals  here- 
with submitted  to  the  Board  by  the  executive  committee. 

*'  3.  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Board  in  their  own 
behalf,  and  in  behalf  of  the  Church,  be  and  they  hereby  are 
tendered  to  these  gentlemen,  severally,  for  their  very  generous 
and  liberal  donation."  ^ 

We  find,  accordingly,  in  the  first  annual  report  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  made  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  under  date  of 
May  1st,  i860,  the  fact  stated  that  "  deeds  have  been  executed 
by  William  B.  Ogden  and  others,  and  by  Lill  and  Diversy,  for 
the  twenty-five  acres  of  land  on  the  northern  limits  of  the  city 
donated  by  them  to  the  Seminary."  But  this  is  accompanied 
by  the  further  statement  that  "  the  Board  (of  Trustees)  have  as 
yet  taken  no  measures  towards  the  improvement  of  the 
grounds,  or  the  erection  of  buildings,  as,  by  the  terms  of  the 
.gift  expressed  in  the  deeds,  they  are  required  to  do  within 
eighteen  months  after  the  execution  of  the  papers."  f  The 
deeds  were  executed  on  the  25th  of  November,  1859,  ^"^  the 
limitation  of  time  would  expire  on  the  25th  of  May,  1861. 

In  the  meantime  the  storm  of  war  had  been  gathering  and 
then  had  burst  upon  the  country.  Amid  the  general  mercan- 
tile and  financial  embarrassments  which  marked  that  period,  it 
was  impossible  to  raise  money  for  building  purposes.  Nothing 
was  left  but  to  ask  for  an  extension  of  time.  In  April,  1861, 
the  Board  of  Trustees  reported  to  the  directory  that,  the  con- 
dition of  the  finances  under  their  control  not  being  such  as  to 
warrant  the  commencement  of  improvements  on  the  land 
donated  to  the  Seminary  by  William  B.  Ogden  and  others 
within  the  time  specified  in  the  deeds  conveying  the  same,  the 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  129,  138.     |  Records  of  Board  of  Trustees,  p.  28. 


i£63-i864.       FIRST  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  l8l 

trustees  through  their  attorney  had  asked  an  extension  of  the 
time  for  two  years,  which  had  been  granted,  and  that  the 
necessary  papers  had  been  made  out  and  it  was  hoped  would 
soon  be  executed.  "^ 

The  executive  committee  of  the  same  year,  1861,  in  their 
annual  report  to  the  Board,  make  a  similar  statement,  as  fol- 
lows :  *'The  committee  are  thankful  to  be  able  to  state  that 
they  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  have  obtained  from  the  gener- 
ous donors  of  the  grounds  of  the  Seminary  an  extension  for 
two  years  of  the  time  within  which  buildings  may  be  com- 
menced and  completed.  This  extension  entitles  these  gentle- 
men to  the  renewed  thanks  of  the  Board  and  other  friends  of 
the  Seminary,  inasmuch  as  the  stringency  of  the  times  made  it 
simply  impossible  to  commence  building  at  the  time  named 
first,  that  is  the  25th  of  May  next  (1861)." 

Still  the  obstacles  were  not  yet  overcome.  The  Seminary 
held  on  its  quiet  way  in  its  rented  domicils  in  the  city.  But 
the  war  continued,  with  all  its  discouragements  and  disasters. 
The  extended  time  was  rolling  away  and  no  building  had  yet 
been  begun  during  the  year  1862.  The  time  had  come  when 
something  must  be  done,  'and  done  without  further  delay. 
The  time  had  come  for  some  man  of  zeal,  energy  and  address 
to  hasten  to  the  rescue  of  the  struggling  Seminary  and  help  it 
through  the  immediate  and  impending  troubles,  unfavorable  as 
the  times  were.  Such  a  man,  in  the  good  providence  of  God, 
was  found  in  the  Rev.  Fielding  N.  Ewing,  who,  in  addition  to 
all  his  admirable  qualities  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  possessed 
a  consummate  knowledge  of  men  and  things  as  a  man  of  busi- 
ness. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  executive  committee  held  Nov.  nth, 
1862,  Mr.  Ewing  was  appointed  the  general  agent  of  the  Semi- 
nary, in  the  place  of  the  lamented  Dr.  J.  C.  Brown,  with 
instructions  to  visit  the  eastern  cities  and  try  to  raise  funds 
for  the  Seminary  buildings,  and  to  secure,  if  possible,  from 
Messrs.  Ogden,  Sheffield,  Lill,  Diversy  and  others  a  renewal 
of  their  offer  of  land.  Mr.  Ewing  was  personally  acquainted 
with  all  these  gentlemen.      At  this  time  he  was  residing  in  one 

*  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  170,  171. 


l82  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

of  the  suburbs  of  Chicago.  No  man  understood  the  whole 
case  better  than  he,  and  he  undertook  the  task  with  good 
reason  to  think  he  would  be  successful.  The  intelligent, 
public-spirited  men  who  had  donated  the  land  were  themselves 
anxious  that  the  Seminary  should  be  established  upon  it,  for 
they  were  well  aware  that  a  successful  institution  of  this  kind 
once  started  would  prove  no  inconsiderable  element  (as  the 
result  afterwards  showed)  in  the  material  development  and 
general  growth  of  the  North  Side  of  the  city,  in  which  they 
were  interested  as  owners  of  large  tracts  of  land  near  the  blocks 
donated.  So  they  were  not  at  all  disposed  to  withdraw  their 
liberal  offer  in  case  their  very  reasonable  stipulations  as  to 
time  and  buildings  could  not  be  fulfilled  immediately. 

Mr.  Ewing  went  directly  to  New  York,  which  city  he  made 
his  headquarters,  and  from  which  point  he  went  to  Philadel- 
phia and  also  to  New  Haven,  the  residence  of  Mr.  Joseph  E. 
ShefBeld.  He  found  Mr.  Shefifield  willing  to  renew  the  old 
offer,  or  to  give  independently  four  acres  on  one  corner  of  the 
twenty-acre  lot  in  case  Mr.  Ewing  would  have  erected  on  it 
during  the  year  a  substantial  building  costing  not  less  than 
fifteen  thousand  dollars.  This  was  a  promising  beginning,  so 
Mr.  Ewing  at  once  returned  to  New  York  determined  to  raise 
the  required  sum,  or  the  bulk  of  it,  before  he  left  the  city.  He 
remained  in  New  York  about  three  months.  With  the  valuable 
assistance  of  Dr.  Rice,  pastor  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian 
church,  he  found  access  to  many  wealthy  and  liberal  contribu- 
tors in  that  congregation,  and  the  whole  amount  was  raised 
.there  with  the  exception  of  two  hundred  dollars  received  from 
Philadelphia.  The  mission  was  so  successful  that  at  the  end 
of  the  time  mentioned  Mr.  Ewing  came  home  with  the  sum  of 
$15,070  in  money,  and  with  the  offer  of  eighty  acres  of  land, 
all  contributed  for  the  one  purpose  of  erecting  the  first  Semi- 
nary building.  He  at  once  waited  upon  the  gentlemen  residing 
in  Chicago,  Messrs.  Ogden,  Lill  and  Diversy,  who  all  agreed, 
after  some  negotiation,  to  renew  their  original  offer  ©f  a  dona- 
tion of  the  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  on  condition  that  the 
authorities  of  the  Seminary  should  put  on  some  part  of  the 
ground  buildings  worth  $15,000  during  the  year  1863,  and  that 


1863-1864.       FIRST  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  1 83 

the  school  should  be  conducted  on  the  premises  for  not  less 
than  twenty-five  years. 

Mr.  Ewing  returned  in  March,  and  pending  these  negotia- 
tions reported  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board,  April  2,  1863, 
the  satisfactory  result  of  his  mission  to  the  East  as  to  the  special 
objects  which  had  been  entrusted  to  him  ;  and  he  stated  further 
that  negotiations  were  then  going  on  in  Chicago  between  the 
several  donors  of  the  twenty-five  acres  and  himself,  as  the 
result  of  which  he  expected  to  secure  the  whole  tract  for  the 
Seminary  on  favorable  terms. 

But  about  this  time  another  offer  was  made  of  a  site  for  the 
Seminary,  with  a  commodious  and  well  furnished  building 
already  on  the  ground,  at  the  other  end  of  -the  city  in  Hyde 
Park,  which  was  in  fact  the  place  first  selected  by  the  synodical 
Board  of  1857  as  the  most  suitable  site  for  the  Seminary.  A 
few  days  before  the  annual  meeting  mentioned  Mr.  Paul 
Cornell  and  others  had  offered  to  the  executive  committee  a 
two-acre  lot  of  ground  at  Hyde  Park,  beautifully  situated  on 
the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  with  a  large  new  building  on  it 
that  had  been  erected  for  hotel  purposes  and  was  fully  equipped 
with  new  furniture,  all  for  the  sum  of  $16,000  in  cash,  which 
was  less  than  half  the  original  cost  of  the  property,  with  furni- 
ture, building  and  ground  included.  This  was  so  nearly  the 
amount  of  money  in  Mr.  Ewing's  hands  which  he  had  collected 
for  a  building,  the  site  was  so  attractive  and  the  whole  offer 
was  so  inviting,  that  some  friends  of  the  Seminary  seemed 
inclined  at  once  to  accept  it.  The  Board,  however,  made  no 
immediate  decision,  but  adjourned  to  meet  again  on  the  27th 
of  April,  directing  the  executive  committee  to  look  into  the 
matter  of  this  offer  more  fully  and  to  report  to  them  at  that 
time.  ^ 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Ewing  went  on  with  his  negotiations 
with  the  gentlemen  who  had  formerly  offered  the  twenty-five- 
acre  tract  and  soon  brought  the  matter  to  a  complete  and  satis- 
factory conclusion.  In  his  determination  to  do  this  he  was 
sustained  by  both  members  of  the  faculty,  Drs.  Lord  and 
Halsey,  who,  much  as  they  desired  a  speedy  solution  of  the 
building  question,  gave  their  decided  voice  and  their  united 


i84  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary, 

influence  in  favor  of  trying  to  secure  the  twenty-five  acres  of 
real  estate,  and  of  holding  on  to  the  offer  of  the  liberal  donors 
who  had  manifested  so  much  good  will  and  patient  indulgence 
towards  the  Seminary  in  its  hour  of  trial  by  their  former 
extensions  of  time. 

At  the  adjourned  meeting  of  the  Board  on  the  27th  of 
April,  1863,  Mr.  Ewing  reported  a  written  renewal  of  the  offer  of 
twenty  acres  within  the  limits  of  Chicago  by  Messrs.  Sheffield, 
Ogden  and  others,  as  a  site  for  the  Seminary  building,  stating 
further  that  Messrs.  Lill  and  Diversy  had  informally  agreed  to 
donate  the  five  acres  adjoining  which  they  had  before  offered.* 
On  the  next  day  the  following  minute  was  adopted  : 

'*  I.  Resolved,  That  the  offer  of  Messrs.  Sheffield,  Ogden 
and  others  of  twenty  acres  in  North  Chicago  for  a  site  for  the 
Seminary,  and  of  five  acres  adjoining  by  Messrs.  Lill  and 
Diversy,  be  accepted,  and  that  the  contemplated  building  be 
located  on  the  most  eligible  spot  of  the  aforesaid  twenty  acres. 

*'  2.  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Board  and  of  the 
Church  it  represents  be  tendered  to  Messrs.  Sheffield,  Ogden 
and  others,  and  to  Messrs.  Lill  and  Diversy,  for  their  liberal 
donations  and  the  liberal  terms  on  which  they  are  made."t 

Looking  back  upon  these  important  transactions  after  thirty 
years,  and  knowing  how  much  depended  on  them  in  the  whole 
subsequent  progress  of  the  Seminary,  how  essential  they  were 
at  the  time  in  giving  it  a  permanent  abode,  with  what  diffi- 
culty they  were  accomplished,  and  what  a  goodly  estate  of 
unfailing  value  they  at  last  secured  for  the  struggling  institu- 
tion, one  cannot  read  the  foregoing  resolutions  without  wish- 
ing that  the  Board  had  added  a  third  resolution  expressive  of 
their  high  and  grateful  appreciation  of  the  services  rendered 
by  the  faitl^ul  and  good  man  who  had  been  the  efficient 
instrument  in  God's  hand  of  securing  for  us,  and  for  those  who 
are  to  come  after  us,  this  inestimable  boon  of  a  permanent 
home.  If  there  is  any  one  among  all  the  honored  dead  who 
deserves  to  have  his  name  inscribed,  as  it  is,  on  that  first 
and  now  central  edifice  of  the  whole  Seminary  group,  it  is 
Fielding  N.  Ewing. 

*  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  p.  217.  t  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  p.  218. 


1^63-1864.       FIRST   SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  185 

Mr,  Ewing  had  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  funds  of 
the  Seminary,  and  his  trip  to  New  York  involved  much  per- 
sonal sacrifice  by  both  himself  and  family.  But  he  saw  that  a 
crisis  had  come  to  the  Seminary.  The  responsibility  of  rescu- 
ing it  from  impending  loss  was  laid  upon  him  as  by  a  call  from 
God,  and  he  did  not  shrink  from  it.  He  lived  for  many  years 
to  serve  the  cause  of  the  institution  as  a  working  member  of 
its  Board  of  Directors.  But  this  one  service  of  securing  for  it 
the  first  public  building,  in  such  an  emergency  of  its  need,  was 
enough  to  crown  his  useful  life  with  honor  and  call  forth  the 
grateful  remembrance  of  the  whole  Church.  The  present  trib- 
ute to  his  name  and  to  his  noble  character  is  prompted  by 
the  heartfelt  admiration  of  one  who  first  knew  him  as  the 
teacher  knows  the  loved  pupil,  and  ever  afterwards  through 
life  remembers  him  as  his  true  and  faithful  friend.  The  world 
is  made  better  and  the  Church  itself  honored  by  the  presence 
of  such  men.  The  service  he  rendered  to  the  Seminary  at  this 
crisis,  in  giving  it  a  home,  may  be  ranked  next  to  that  of  Mr. 
McCormick  in  giving  it  its  great  endowment. 

Before  the  Board  adjourned  from  the  meeting  of  April  27th, 
1863,  a  building  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Mr. 
Ewing,  Mr.  Eliphalet  Wood  and  Mr.  Samuel  Howe,  to  which 
the  two  professors  and  the  trustees  were  added  as  advisers. 
They  had  instructions  to  push  matters  forward  with  the  great- 
est possible  dispatch,  but  not  to  involve  the  Board  in  debt.  As 
the  price  of  labor  and  material  was  then  low  it  was  found  that 
a  large  and  substantial  building  could  be  put  up  within  the 
limits  of  the  money  on  hand.  Accordingly  an  architect,  Mr. 
G.  P.  Randall,  was  engaged,  plans  were  adopted,  contracts  let 
and  the  contractors  all  bound  to  finish  the  work  by  December 
25th,  1863.  Ground  was  broken  and  the  corner  stone  laid 
within  the  limit  of  lime  required  by  the  donors  of  the  land. 
On  what  was  at  that  time  a  broad  grass  pasture  without  a 
building  near  it  were  soon  seen  rising  the  brick  and  stone  walls 
of  an  edifice  seventy  by  forty-two  feet,  fronting  east  on  Hal- 
sted  street,  to  be  three  stories  of  brick,  with  mansard  story 
above,  and  a  high  basement  of  stone  above  ground,  the  base- 
ment to  furnish  a  refectory  and  its  appendages,  and  the  stories 


i86  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

above  lecture  and  library  rooms  and  dormitories  for  forty 
students. 

For  the  purposes  and  uses  in  view  the  plan  was  a  good  one, 
and  the  whole  interior  arrangement  of  the  building  was  com- 
plete and  convenient  for  such  an  institution  in  those  early  days 
of  its  career.  The  building  was  erected  within  the  year,  as 
required  in  the  deeds  of  the  donors  of  the  land,  and  was  ready 
for  occupancy  in  the  first  week  of  February,  1864,  at  which  time 
the  students  moved  into  it.  It,  however,  contained  no  pro- 
vision for  the  professors'  families,  and  there  were  no  dwelling 
houses  in  its  immediate  neighborhood.  As  a  consequence  the 
professors  had  to  live  at  a  distance,  securing  for  themselves 
dwellings  where  they  could,  either  by  renting  or  buying  such 
houses  as  their  limited  resources  allowed.  This  resulted  in 
great  inconvenience  to  the  professors,  and  was  a  loss  to  the 
students,  as  it  put  the  professors  so  far  off  from  them  as  to 
interfere  with  that  close  relation  outside  of  the  class  room 
which  is  often  one  of  the  strongest  influences  of  seminary  life. 
The  Board  of  Directors,  as  early  as  their  meeting  in  April, 
1863,  took  action  on  the  subject,  and  authorized  the  professors 
to  erect  dwelling  houses  for  their  own  use  on  the  Seminary 
ground,  if  they  so  desired  and  had  the  means  so  to  do,  or 
could  secure  them  from  liberal  friends  as  a  donation  to  the 
Seminary.  Such  houses,  if  built,  were  to  be  occupied  by  the 
professors  free  of  rent  as  long  as  they  were  connected  with  the 
Seminary,  and  then  were  to  be  alike  free  to  their  successors. 
But,  unfortunately,  neither  of  the  professors  had  such  liberal 
friends  at  command  as  to  be  able  to  avail  himself  of  this  offer 
and  thus  secure  a  most  desirable  and  conveniently  located 
residence.  They  were  shut  up  to  the  necessity  of  living  where 
they  could  find  houses  at  a  distance  and  waiting  for  a  brighter 
day,  which  they  sometimes  feared  would  never  come.  They 
indeed  made  strenuous  efforts  to  accomplish  this  thing  and 
thus  secure  for  the  Seminary  and  for  themselves  those  much 
needed  improvements,  but  the  time  for  such  liberality  had  not 
come.  A  later  day  brought  the  realization  on  a  magnificent 
scale  of  what  was  then  but  a  hope. 

It  is  pleasing,  even  after  the  long  intervening  lapse  of  time, 


1863-1864.       FIRST  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  18/ 

for  us  who  survive  to  recall  the  joyful  feelings  with  which  both 
students  and  professors  entered  upon  their  work  in  this  first 
building,  in  February,  1864.  The  whole  cost  of  the  building 
had  been  $16,125.  But,  aside  from  this,  the  building  had  been 
thoroughly  furnished  with  new  carpeting  and  furniture  in  all 
its  dormitory  rooms  and  public  halls,  and  with  the  necessary 
articles  in  its  kitchen  and  dining  room  departments,  from  out- 
side sources,  especially  from  the  ladies  of  the  churches,  not 
only  in  Chicago  and  Illinois,  but  in  other  Northwestern  States. 
Everything  was  complete  for  the  student  family. 

It  was  indeed  a  day  of  small  things,  and  it  continued  so  for 
many  years.  The  prospect  at  times,  especially  during  the  war, 
which  had  reduced  the  number  of  students  one-half,  looked 
dark  enough.  But  we  did  not  despair;  there  was  heart  within, 
and  there  was  light  above,  and  there  were,  we  felt  assured, 
better  things  in  store  for  us  in  the  future.  As  we  entered  the 
new  building,  the  present  central  edifice,  then  standing  lone 
and  tall  on  the  open  common,  but  neat  and  clean  and  amply 
furnished  within  (all  honor  to  our  Presbyterian  ladies  and  the 
efficient  agent),  we  felt  that  the  Lord  had  brought  us  into  a 
large  place  and  given  us  a  goodly  heritage,  filling  our  hearts 
with  gladness.  At  last  our  many  migrations  in  the  city  had 
ended  in  a  fixed  abode. 

Men  can  well  afford  to  toil  on  in  the  service  of  Christ, 
unrecognized  and  unappreciated,  and  often  at  the  cost  of  much 
self-sacrifice  and  discouragement,  so  long  as  they  feel  that  their 
work  is  useful  to  their  fellow-men,  is  attended  by  the  blessing 
of  God  and  is  sure  of  being  crowned  at  last  with  a  true  and 
enduring  success.  Those  entrusted  with  the  care,  the  manage- 
ment and  the  instruction  of  the  institution  during  those  open- 
ing years  of  trial  and  disappointment  certainly  worked  in  the 
confidence  of  a  great  coming  success,  which  did  much  to 
strengthen  their  hands  and  cheer  their  hearts,  as  well  as  to 
reconcile  them  to  what  seemed  very  small  beginnings.  Still 
God's  rich  blessing  even  then  was  on  their  work,  and  their 
Jabor  was  not  fruitless. 

It  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  imminent  straits  to  which  the 
Seminary  was  reduced  during  this  dark  period  and  before  the 


i88  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  semlnary. 

new  building  was  secured  to  relate  a  little  incident  which 
occurred  at  the  opening  of  one  of  the  sessions,^  and  which  in 
subsequent  years  was  often  referred  to  by  the  students  of  the 
institution.  Mr.  Samuel  Vance,  the  first  student  who  made 
his  appearance  one  year,  arrived  a  week  before  the  opening 
and  found  that  Professor  Halsey  and  his  colleague  were  absent 
at  presbytery.  The  prospect  for  students  was  slight,  as  no  others 
had  been  heard  from  ;  and  no  boarding  house  had  yet  been 
provided.  Mr.  Vance,  disheartened,  was  about  to  return  home, 
but  Mrs.  Halsey,  realizing  the  urgency  of  the  situation  and  the 
necessity  of  keeping  this  one  student,  invited  him  to  make  her 
house  his  home  and  to  invite  others  to  do  the  same.  Another 
student  who  soon  arrived  was  so  discouraged  by  the  outlook 
that  he,  too,  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  city,  until  assured 
by  Mrs.  Halsey  that  his  remaining  with  Mr.  Vance  was  essen- 
tial to  the  life  of  the  Seminary,  and  that  a  boarding  house 
would  soon  be  opened  and  every  arrangement  made  for  their 
comfort.  Thus  prevailed  upon  they  consented  to  remain,  and 
were  joined  in  a  few  days  by  three  others.  In  later  years  Mr. 
Vance  was  accustomed  to  say  that  Mrs.  Halsey  and  he  had 
run  the  Seminary  that  year  and  saved  it,  by  not  allowing  the 
succession  of  students  to  fail,  which,  had  it  occurred,  would 
have  caused  a  forfeiture  of  the  valuable  building  site  of  the 
institution. 


MR.  SAMUEL  HOWE. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 


SCHOLARSHIPS  FOUNDED  AND  LIBRARY 
INCREASED. 


1861-1864. 


Need  of  Scholarship  Funds.  Individual  Helpers.  A  Safe  Investment. 
Early  Foundations.  Whole  Number  Founded,  How  the  Students  are 
Aided.  The  First  Scholarships.  Foundation  of  the  Library.  Mr.  Corning, 
Dr.  Brown  and  Dr.  Phillips.  Accession  of  the  New  Albany  Library.  A  Suit 
Instituted  for  It.  Judge  Scates's  Complaint  in  Court.  Answer  of  Defend- 
ants. Claim  of  Mrs.  Richardson.  Hanover  College.  Replication.  Consent 
of  all  the  Parties.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Final  Decree  of  the 
United  States  Court.  Committee  to  Divide  the  Assets.  All  Debts  Paid. 
The  Division  of  the  Property.  The  Library  Received.  Its  Value.  Whole 
Number  of  Volumes  Added.  All  Consolidated  in  One  Library.  Present 
Number  of  Volumes.     Legal  Succession  Established. 


Through  all  its  early  history  the  growth  of  the  Seminary 
was  much  retarded  by  the  lack  of  scholarships,  that  is,  of  funds 
which  could  be  used  to  assist  worthy  students  who  needed 
pecuniary  aid.  There  was  scarcely  a  year  when  the  number  of 
students  could  not  have  been  increased,  had  the  faculty  been 
in  possession  of  means  to  meet  applications  for  aid.  The 
result  was  that  many  young  men,  belonging  to  the  churches  of 
the  Western  synods,  and  preferring  to  be  educated  in  their 
home  institution,  were  led  to  go  elsewhere  in  order  to  find  the 
much  needed  assistance  in  the  numerous  well-endowed  scholar- 
ships of  the  older  seminaries  in  the  East.  In  some  cases, 
in  order  to  retain  such  as  came  and  had  even  entered  the 
Seminary  halls,  the  faculty  had  to  make  earnest  personal 
appeals  to  their  liberal  friends  in  the  churches  of  Chicago  for 
funds  to  be  applied  in  aid  of  these  special  students,  whom  they 


190  HIST'ORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

could  not  afford  to  lose.  And  it  is  pleasant  to  record  that 
some  of  our  brightest  young  men  were  in  this  way  enabled  to 
finish  their  course  with  us. 

The  Seminary,  from  its  origin  to  the  present  day,  has  been 
in  great  need  of  an  ample  scholarship  fund.  Frequent  appeals 
were  made  through  its  agents  to  the  churches,  and  in  its 
annual  reports  to  the  General  Assembly,  in  behalf  of  an 
enlarged  scholarship  endowment.  Small  as  has  been  the 
amount  secured  for  this  purpose,  some  of  the  earlier  scholar- 
ships, founded  with  individual  promissory  notes,  the  annual 
interest  upon  which  was  promptly  paid  for  awhile,  have  been 
lost  upon  the  death  of  the  donors,  because  their  estates  were 
unable  to  pay  the  notes.  And  in  some  instances  the  special 
assistance  was  lost  to  the  students  because  both  the  principal 
and  income,  with  the  consent  of  the  donors,  had  to  be  applied 
to  other  urgent  needs  of  the  Seminary.  Several  scholarships 
were  thus  used  to  pay  pressing  taxes  on  the  Seminary  property. 

Still  the  mstitution  all  through  its  existence  has  had  the 
benefit  of  a  number  of  paying  scholarships,  which  have  been 
founded  from  time  to  time  by  liberal  and  provident  friends 
who  have  been  induced  to  adopt  this  method  of  bestowing 
their  means  where  they  would  accomplish  lasting  good  in  aid- 
ing the  Seminary  and  in  the  training  of  an  unbroken  succession 
of  ministers.  It  would  be  difificult  to  point  out  any  method  of 
investing  money  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  Christ  more  likely  to 
be  safe  and  beneficial  for  all  time  to  come  than  the  founding 
of  a  scholarship  in  one  of  the  schools  of  the  prophets.  The 
rich  Presbyterians  of  our  Western  churches,  judging  from  the 
past,  have  been  a  little  slow  to  find  this  out.  But  it  is  now 
about  time  that  they  should  awake  to  the  importance  of  this 
form  of  Christian  beneficence. 

The  whole  number  of  scholarships  now  belonging  to  the 
Seminary,  paying  in  full  or  in  part,  according  to  the  last  report 
published  in  the  minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  for  1892,  is 
thirty-seven.     These  are  as  follows: 

I.  The  Mason  scholarship,  founded  by  Hon.  Roswell  B. 
Mason,  Chicago,  111.  2.  The  Powers  scholarship,  founded  by 
Orlando  Powers,  Esq.,  Decatur,  111.     3.    The  Proctor  scholar- 


1861-1864.  SCHOLARSHIPS  AND  LIBRARY.  I9I 

ship,  founded  by  William  Proctor,  Esq.,  Lewiston,  HI.  4.  The 
Bruen  scholarship,  founded  by  Dr.  A.  M.  Bruen,  White  Plains, 
N.  Y.  5.  The  Alumni  scholarship,  founded  by  the  alumni  of 
the  Seminary.  6.  The  Phelps  scholarship,  founded  by  Lean- 
der  D.  Phelps,  Esq.,  Macomb,  111.  7.  The  Thornton  A.  Mills 
scholarship,  founded  by  Rev.  Robert  H.  Lilly,  Champaign,  111. 
8.  The  Lilly  scholarship,  founded  by  Rev.  Robert  H.  Lilly, 
Champaign,  111.  9.  The  Gait  scholarship,  founded  by  Thomas 
A.  Gait,  Esq.,  Sterling,  111.  10.  The  Morris  scholarship  No. 
I,  founded  by  Rev.  George  Morris,  Baltimore,  Md.  11.  The 
Morris  scholarship  No.  2,  founded  by  Rev.  George  Morris, 
Baltimore,  Md.  12.  The  Leroy  J.  Halsey  scholarship,  founded 
by  Mr.  Walter  and  Mrs.  Sarah  H.  Collins,  Chicago,  111.  13. 
The  Murray  scholarship,  founded  by  Rev.  John  Murray,  mis- 
sionary at  Chefoo,  China.  14.  The  Jane  Dorr  scholarship, 
founded  by  the  Trustees  of  the  Jane  Dorr  fund,  Springfield, 
111.  15.  The  Thomas  D.  Foster  scholarship,  founded  by  Mr. 
Thomas  D.  Foster,  Ottumwa,  Iowa.  16.  The  Jesse  L.  Will- 
iams scholarship,  founded  by  Hon.  Jesse  L.  Williams,  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.  17.  The  George  Griffiths  scholarship,  founded 
by  Mr.  George  Griffiths,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  18.  The  Alexan- 
der Brebner  scholarship,  founded  by  Miss  Ann  Brebner,  and 
invested  in  a  memorial  house.  19  to  35.  The  Pearsons  schol- 
arships, founded  by  Daniel  K.  Pearsons,  M.D.,  Chicago,  111. 
36.  The  Engles  scholarship,  founded  by  Mr.  Joseph  Engles, 
Philadelphia,  Penn.  37.  The  Allan  scholarship,  founded  by 
Elisha  Allan,  Esq.,  Arlington  Heights,  111.* 

The  scholarships,  being  in  several  cases  only  partially 
endowed,  have  never  yielded  income  sufficient  to  support  that 
portion  of  the  students  in  the  Seminary  who  needed  pecuniary 
assistance.  For  the  most  of  the  time  the  scholarship  incomes 
from  year  to  year  have  been  divided,  and  so  distributed  as  to 
assist  the  largest  number.  The  deficiency  every  year  has  been 
supplied  either  by  aid  from  the  Board  of  Education,  or  by  lib- 
eral friends  at  home,  who,  on  application  by  the  professors, 
provided  the  means  for  special  cases.  In  the  session  of  1892- 
1893.  the  number  of  students  in  attendance  was  212.     Of  these 

♦  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1892,  p.  277. 


192  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

about  160  were  aided  in  one  form  or  another.  The  whole  amount 
of  aid  distributed  that  year  was  over  $28,000.  Part  of  this  sum 
was  derived  from  the  scholarship  fund  of  the  Seminary,  part 
from  the  Board  of  Education,  and  part  from  generous  friends  of 
the  institution. 

The  earliest  of  the  scholarships  founded  was 'one  that  does 
not  appear  on  this  list.  It  was  called  the  Bergen,  scholarship, 
being  founded  in  1861  by  Dr.  John  G.  Bergen,  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  of  Springfield,  111.  Dr.  Bergen,  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  and  graduate  of  both  Princeton  College 
and  Seminary,  came  early  in  his  ministry  and  settled  in  the 
central  part  of  Illinois,  where  he  became  a  pioneer  of  Presby- 
terianism  in  and  around  Springfield.  He  was  a  warm  friend  of 
the  Seminary  from  its  commencement,  and  in  1865  was  made 
one  of  its  directors.  When  the  first  agents  of  the  Seminary, 
Rev.  R.  P.  Farris  and  Mr.  C.  A.  Spring,  visited  his  section  of 
the  state,  soliciting  funds,  he  received  them  with  open  arms, 
and  showed  his  deep  interest  in  the  cause  by  heading  the  sub- 
scription list  with  the  donation  of  a  scholarship.  He  gave  his 
note  for  $2,000  to  found  it,  agreeing  to  pay  the  annual  interest 
as  needed.  This  he  paid  promptly — one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars — each  year  for  about  ten  years  or  until  his  death,  thus 
helping  a  number  of  young  men  into  the  ministry.  At  his 
death  his  estate  was  found  to  be  too  small  to  pay  up  the  prin- 
cipal without  serious  detriment  to  those  who  had  prior  claims 
upon  him.  The  note  was  accordingly  surrendered  to  his  heirs 
in  1882.  Thus  an  honored  and  much  venerated  name  had 
to  be  dropped  reluctantly  from  the  head  of  the  roll  of  scholar- 
ships. Could  any  one  of  our  wealthy  churches,  or  liberal 
church  members  to  whom  God  has  given  the  means,  do  a  bet- 
ter service  to  the  Seminary,  or  render  a  more  fitting  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  this  good  man,  than  by  restoring  to  its  due 
place  of  honor  the  old  familiar  Bergen  scholarship?  Every 
lover  of  the  Seminary  would  rejoice  to  see  it  back  again,  and 
would  honor  the  man  or  the  woman  or  the  church  that  should 
restore  it. 

Several  other  scholarships  were  begun  and  for  a  time  paid 
the    income,    as   the    Reynolds   scholarship,    the    MacMaster 


1861-1864.  SCHOLARSHIPS  AND  LIBRARY.  I93 

scholarship,  the  Spafford  scholarship,  the  Sunday-School  schol- 
arship, the  Smith  scholarship,  which  have  also  ceased  to 
exist.  The  large  proportion  of  existing  scholarships  have  been 
founded  since  1870.  For  the  first  ten  years  in  Chicago  the 
Seminary  could  number  only  half  a  dozen  paying  scholarships 
upon  which  it  could  depend  for  aid  to  its  students. 

In  a  preceding  chapter  it  has  been  stated  how  the  Seminary, 
through  the  agency  of  Dr.  Lord  and  the  thoughtful  kindness 
of  Mr.  Hanson  K.  Corning,  of  New  York,  at  an  early  day  was 
placed  in  possession  of  a  small  but  admirable  collection  of 
theological  books.  The  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  was  laid 
out  for  this  purpose  during  the  first  year  at  Chicago,  and  the 
good  foundation  thus  laid  continued  to  be  enlarged  from  time 
to  time  for  many  years  by  additional  contributions  from  Mr. 
Corning  and  other  liberal  friends.  The  books  from  the  differ- 
ent sources  were  for  some  time  kept  apart,  forming  several  dis- 
tinct libraries.  Besides  the  largest  of  the  collections,  pur- 
chased with  Mr.  Coming's  money  and  called  the  Corning 
Library,  there  was  the  donated  library  of  Dr.  James  C. 
Brown  of  some  four  hundred  volumes ;  and  there  was  added 
some  years  later  the  much  larger  private  library  of  Dr.  William 
W.  Phillips  of  New  York,  bequeathed  to  the  Seminary  at  his 
death.  To  these  two  private  libraries  of  Dr.  Brown  and  Dr. 
Phillips  many  other  contributions  by  individual  donors  were 
added  from  time  to  time,  and  also  a  large  collection  of  the 
books  issued  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication.  The 
Seminary  thus  by  degrees  came  to  possess  two  distinct  libraries, 
which  were  arranged  and  numbered  under  the  two  titles  of 
Corning  Library  and  General  Library,  the  latter  being  made  up 
of  all  the  volumes  which  did  not  properly  belong  to  the 
former. 

But  while  these  two  libraries,  thus  begun,  were  in  process  of 
growth,  the  Seminary  had  come  into  its  lawful  though  long 
delayed  possession  of  a  third  collection,  larger  in  the  number 
of  volumes  than  either  of  the  others.  This  was  the  old  and 
rather  damaged  library  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary,  which 
had  formed  a  part  of  the  assets  of  that  institution,  and  had 
been  offered  to  and  accepted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1859. 


194  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

The  books,  however,  had  been  withheld  from  the  new  Semi- 
nary at  Chicago  until  the  amicable  lawsuit  for  possession, 
instituted  by  the  Chicago  trustees  against  those  at  New  Albany, 
could  be  decided  in  the  United  States  Circuit  Court  at  Indi- 
anapolis. There  were  also  certain  debts  contracted  under  the 
synodical  Board, payment  of  which  was  demanded  of  the  new 
Board  at  Chicago,  but  which  could  not  be  met  until  that  suit 
was  decided. 

As  already  stated  in  a  previous  chapter,  a  third  party, 
Hanover  College,  had  put  in  its  demand  before  the  court  for  a 
portion  of  the  New  Albany  property,  on  the  plea  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Richardson,  who  as  the  widow  and  sole  heir  of  Mr.  Elias 
Ayers  now  claimed  that  Mr.  Ayers's  original  donation  of 
$I5,0(X)  had  been  forfeited  to  her  by  the  removal  of  the  Semi- 
nary from  New  Albany,  and  that  she,  after  this  forfeiture  by 
removal  and  before  this  suit  was  brought,  had  donated  and 
conveyed  her  part  of  the  New  Albany  assets  to  Hanover  Col- 
lege. 

The  suit  was  brought  by  Judge  Scates,  representing  the 
Board  of  Trustees  at  Chicago,  in  the  form  of  a  "  complaint  " 
against  the  old  Board  of  Trustees  at  New  Albany,  and  for  the 
recovery  of  all  the  property  there,  which,  as  alleged,  was  with- 
held by  the  New  Albany  Board  from  the  Chicago  Board  after 
it  had  been  trahsferred  to  the  General  Assembly.  Judge 
Scates's  complaint  is  too  long  a  document  to  be  inserted  in 
these  pages.  After  a  full  recital  of  all  the  facts  involved  in  the 
case  from  the  origin  of  the  Seminary  at  Hanover  and  its 
removal  to  New  Albany  down  to  its  transfer  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  1859,  ^^^  complaint  closes  with  the  following 
paragraphs : 

"  To  the  end,  therefore,  that  justice  may  be  done,  your  orator 
(the  Trustees  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest) 
prays  that  the  said  defendants,  the  Trustees  of  the  New  Albany 
Theological  Seminary,  William  Richardson  and  Mary  Ann 
Richardson,  his  wife,  and  the  said  other  defendant,  and  all 
defendants  intervening  to  claim  the  same  property,  may  be 
made  defendants,  and  that  they  and  each  of  them  may,  upon 
their  corporal  oaths,  full,  true  and  perfect  answers  make  to  all 


ic6i-i864.  SCHOLARSHIPS  AND  LIBRARY.  I95 

and  singular  the  premises,  statements  and  facts,  singularly  and 
severally,  as  the  same  have  been  set  forth  and  charged  upon 
the  information  and  belief,  or  otherwise,  as  if  the  same  were 
herein  again  specially  repeated  and  interrogated  unto:  And 
especially  that  the  said  defendant,  the  Trustees  of  the  New 
Albany  Theological  Seminary,  set  forth  and  give  a  full  descrip- 
tion of  all  the  lands,  personal  property,  choses  in  action,  credits 
and  effects  of  the  said  Seminary  in  its  hands  for  the  use  of  the 
same. 

"  And  your  orator  prays  that  the  defendants  be  summoned, 
etc.,  and  that  upon  the  final  hearing  your  honorable  court  will 
award  and  decree  that  the  said  defendant,  the  Trustees  of  the 
New  Albany  Theological  Seminary,  convey  to  your  orator  all 
such  real  estate  as  it  may  now  hold,  and  deliver  and  assign  to 
your  orator  all  the  personal  property,  choses  in  action,  books, 
accounts,  moneys,  and  other  effects  in  its  possession,  for  the 
uses  of  said  Seminary,  as  fully  and  completely  as  they  may 
now  hold  the  same,  and  for  such  other  and  further  relief  as  to 
equity  and  right  may  appertain  ;  and  as  in  duty  bound  it  will 
ever  pray." 

To  this  complaint  the  defendants  made  answer  through  their 
solicitor,  as  follows :  "  The  answer  of  the  Trustees  of  the  New 
Albany  Theological  Seminary,  Hanover  College,  Mary  Ann 
Richardson  and  William  Richardson,  her  husband,  to  the  com- 
plaint of  the  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest  exhibited  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  the 
United  States  for  the  District  of  Indiana. 

"  These  defendants,  saving  all  exceptions,  etc.,  answer  said 
complaint  and  say  that  they  admit  all  the  facts  therein  alleged 
except  as  hereafter  set  forth. 

''  But  they  also  show  that,  after  the  death  of  said  Elias 
Ayers  and  before  the  commencement  of  this  action,  the  Board 
of  Directors  having  the  management  heretofore  of  said  New 
Albany  Theological  Seminary  did  consider  and  decide  it  to  be 
inexpedient  any  longer  to  sustain  said  Seminary,  and  they 
caused  it  to  be  removed  from  the  city  of  New  Albany,  and  it 

ceased  to  be  located  in  or  near  said  city,  to-wit,  on  the 

of 1859,  whereby,  and  by  reason  of  the  conditions  on 


196  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

which  the  donation  for  its  support  by  said  Elias  Ayers  was 
made,  as  set  forth  in  the  complaint,  said  donation  became  for- 
feited and  annulled,  and  said  Mary  Ann  Richardson,  as  the 
devisee  and  sole  heir  of  said  Elias  Ayers,  became  and  is 
entitled  to  have  the  same  or  any  amount  of  money,  or  other 
property  equal  thereto,  out  of  the  property  of  the  Trustees  of 
the  New  Albany  Theological  Seminary,  to  be  held  by  her  as 
her  sole  and  separate  property,  free  from  all  control  of  any 
husband,  and  after  said  forfeiture  and  before  the  commence- 
ment of  this  action,  she,  as  far  as  she  legally  could,  assigned 
and  transferred  to  Hanover  College  all  her  right  to  recover 
and  hold  any  money  or  other  property  on  account  of  said 
donation  by  said  Elias  Ayers  and  the  forfeiture  aforesaid  ;  and 
these  defendants  desire  to  request  that  the  same  should  be 
received  and  held  by  Hanover  College. 

*' And  they  pray  that  it  may  so  be  decreed  by  this  court,  in 
this  action,  and  that  they  may  be  hence  dismissed  with  their 
costs,  etc."  A  brief  replication  to  this  answer  of  the  defendants 
was  made  by  the  counsel  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trustees. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  it  was  thought  best  that  all 
the  parties  in  the  suit  should  agree  to  an  equitable  settlement 
of  their  claims  by  submitting  the  case  to  the  judgment  of  the 
court.  The  trustees  and  directors  at  Chicago  had  no  disposi- 
tion to  press  matters  beyond  what  was  right.  The  claim  of 
Mrs.  Richardson  to  the  forfeited  donation  of  her  former  hus- 
band, Mr.  Elias  Ayers,  and  the  consequent  claim  of  Hanover 
College  to  her  re-donation  of  $15,000  of  the  property  to  that 
institution,  seemed  just  and  right,  and  the  new  Seminary  at 
Chicago  had  no  disposition  to  dispute  it.  « 

The  Chicago  Board  of  Directors  accordingly  instructed  the 
Board  of  Trustees  and  its  counsel.  Judge  Scates,  to  agree  with 
the  other  parties  to  submit  the  case  to  the  court  for  an  ami- 
cable and  equitable  settlement.  At  their  annual  meeting  in 
May,  1 86 1,  the  Board  of  Directors  adopted  the  following 
resolution,  offered  by  Rev.  F.  N.  Ewing : 

"  Resolved  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  that  we  authorize  our  attorney, 
Judge  Walter  B.   Scates,  to   agree  with  the  attorney  of  the 


1861-1864.  SCHOLARSHIPS  AND  LIBRARY.  197 

defendants  in  the  suit  brought  to  settle  the  title  to  the 
property  at  New  Albany  to  ask  the  court  to  enter  judgment 
to  the  effect  that  after  paying  all  the  debts  created  before  the 
transfer  of  the  Theological  Seminary  to  the  General  Assembly 
at  Indianapolis,  together  with  the  costs  of  the  suit,  the  balance 
of  assets  be  equally  divided  between  the  Seminary  and  the 
College  of  South  Hanover."  ^ 

To  this  the  consent  of  all  the  parties  was  given.  The  final 
decision  of  the  court  was  reached  and  a  decree  entered  July 
5th,  1861,  which  was  in  the  words  following: 

''  And  this  action  is  therefore,  by  the  consent  of  all  the  par- 
ties, submitted  to  the  court  for  final  hearing  upon  the  com- 
plaint, answer,  exhibits  and  evidence  introduced.  And  the 
court,  having  duly  considered  the  evidence  and  arguments  of 
counsels,  does  by  the  consent  of  all  the  parties  find  that  all  the 
debts  due  from  the  New  Albany  Theological  Seminary,  which 
it  ought  to  pay  on  contracts,  should  be  first  paid  prior  to  the 
transfer  of  the  contracts  to  the  General  Assembly  out  of  the 
property  holden  by  said  Seminary,  and  that  all  the  remainder 
of  the  property  holden  by  said  Seminary,  of  whatever  kind, 
ought  to  be  equally  divided  between  the  Trustees  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  and  Hanover 
College. 

"  It  is  therefore  by  the  consent  of  all  the  parties  ordered, 
adjudged  and  decreed  by  the  court  that  all  the  debts  due  from 
the  New  Albany  Theological  Seminary,  and  which  it  ought  to 
pay,  as  aforesaid,  be  first  paid  by  s^id  Seminary,  and  then  that 
all  the  remainder  of  the  property  holden  by  said  Seminary,  of 
whatever  kind,  be  equally  divided  between  the  Trustees  of 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  and  Hanover 
College: 

"  And  that  said  Seminary  last  named  and  said  college  pay 
the  costs  of  this  action  in  equal  shares.  And  all  matters  as  to 
what  particular  debts  shall  be  paid  by  said  trustees  of  the  New 
Albany  Theological  Seminary  and  the  amount  thereof,  and  as 
to  the  division  by  partition  of  the  remainder  of  the  property 
of  said  Seminary   between    the  Trustees  of  the   Presbyterian 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  176. 


198  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  and  Hanover  College 
(if  the  parties  themselves  do  not  agree  to  the  same),  and  all 
other  equities  in  the  case  not  hereinbefore  determined,  are 
reserved  for  the  further  order  and  decision  of  this  court.  And 
this  action  is  continued  to  the  next  term  of  this  court." 

In  accordance  with  this  decision,  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  in  April,  1862,  Mr.  Ewing,  Dr.  Wood 
and  Judge  Scates  were  appointed  a  committee  to  visit  New 
Albany  and,  with  the  old  trustees  there,  to  settle  the  outstand- 
ing, claims  against  the  Seminary,  and  then  make  an  equitable 
division  of  the  remaining  assets  between  the  Seminary  and 
Hanover  College.  Judge  Scates  could  not  go,  but  Mr.  Ewing 
in  the  spring  following  met  in  New  Albany  Dr.  Wood,  who 
also  represented  the  college  as  its  president,  and  they  made 
with  the  trustees  a  satisfactory  settlement  of  all  the  old  debts. 

In  his  report  to  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April,  1863.  Mr. 
Ewing,  after  describing  all  the  assets  and  the  manner  in  which 
the  old  debts  were  settled,  says :  "  This  opened  the  way  for  a 
division  of  the  balance ;  and,  with  a  view  to  dividing  the 
library  between  the  Seminary  and  college,  I  requested  Dr.  Hal- 
sey  to  accompany  me  to  New  Albany,  to  meet  the  college 
committee,  about  the  20th  of  August.  From  him  I  received 
valuable  aid,  though  we  effected  a  division  of  the  whole  with- 
out dividing  the  library.  The  Seminary  takes,  first,  the  library  ; 
second,  the  old  Seminary  building,  with  half  the  lot  on  which 
the  two  buildings  stand,  less  five  or  six  feet ;  third,  the  Lock- 
millar  Block,  40  feet  front ;  fourth,  one  of  the  two  boxes  of 
bed  clothi-ng. 

"  The  college  takes,  first,  the  new  building,  with  the  lot  on 
which  both  stand  and  the  advantage  of  five  or  six  feet  in 
dividing  it ;  second,  the  lot,  lOO  feet  front,  on  the  corner  of  the 
same  block  ;  third,  one  box  of  the  bed  clothing.  This  is  con- 
sidered as  nearly  equitable  a  division  as  it  was  possible  to  make 
in  a  division  of  property  of  unknown  value.  The  trustees  of 
the  New  Albany  Seminary  were  authorized  by  us  so  to  do,  and 
will  doubtless  convey  the  real  estate  in  a  shott  time  to  the  col- 
lege and  Seminary,  as  the  joint  committee  agreed  upon." 

A  similar  division,  as  stated  in  Mr.  Swing's  report,  was  made 


1861-1864.  SCHOLARSHIPS  AND  LIBRARY.  199 

of  certain  notes,  some  good  and  some  worthless,  and  also  of 
certain  shares  of  railroad  stock,  then  regarded  as  valueless,  all 
placed  in  Dr.  Wood's  hands  for  collection,  and  all  to  be  equally 
divided  by  him,  when  collected,  between  the  Seminary  and  the 
college.  And  so  ended  the  old  trouble  about  the  debts  and 
the  assets  of  the  New  Albany  Seminary.  All  parties  were  at 
last  paid,  and  the  remaining  property  was  satisfactorily  divided 
between  the  two  rightful  heirs  at  law — Hanover  College  and 
the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

Thus  the  old  library,  which  had  been  used  partly  at  Han- 
over and  partly  at  New  Albany,  by  successive  classes  of 
students,  for  the  space  of  some  twenty-seven  years,  and  had 
evidently  been  pretty  badly  used,  found  at  last  a  resting-place 
in  the  city  of  Chicago.  Though  old  and  slow  in  coming  and 
injured  by  use,  it  was  a  valuable  acquisition.  Many  of  its  vol- 
umes were  old  folios,  rich  in  the  solid  Latin  literature  and  the- 
ology of  Europe,  running  back  to  the  learned  authors  of  the 
great  Reformation  period.  Altogether  there  were  about  three 
thousand  volumes,  and  the  library  to  which  they  were  added, 
consisting  mainly  of  new  books,  was  swelled  to  about  seven 
thousand  volumes.  The  whole  Seminary  library  now  numbers 
about  twelve  thousand  volumes. 

This  venerable  library  from  New  Albany  was  received  in 
1863,  and,  as  soon  as  the  first  building  was  occupied  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1864,  it  was  placed  ih  a  separate  room,  shelved  for  the 
purpose,  and  kept  distinct.  In  1875,  when  the  second  building 
was  erected  for  a  chapel  and  library,  the  books  of  all  the  col- 
lections, which  until  that  time  had  been  kept  disti/ict,  under 
the  names  of  the  Corning  library,  the  General  library  and  the 
New  Albany  library,  were  blended  together  and  catalogued  so 
as  to  form  but  one  library.  The  classification  and  arrangement 
thus  effected  were  more  convenient  to  the  student,  but  the 
general  effect,  as  a  whole,  was  not  improved,  inasmuch  as.  the 
large  sprinkling  of  the  much  worn  New  Albany  volumes  gave 
to  all  the  shelves  an  aspect  somewhat  irregular  and  rusty. 

The  Seminary  had  much  reason  to  rejoice  in  this  large 
accession,  not  only  on  account  of  the  intrinsic  value  of  the 
damaged  books,  but  because  the  presence  of  this  old  library 


200  HIS  '^ORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

was  the  demonstration  that  the  Seminary  in  Chicago  is  the 
true  successor  and  the  rightful  heir  at  law,  under  the  decree  of 
a  United  States  court,  of  all  that  had  preceded  it  in  the  history 
of  Presbyterian  theological  education  in  the  Northwest. 


n 


REV.  JOHN  CROZIER. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

DR.  MACMASTER   RECALLED  TO  THE   CHAIR  OF 

THEOLOGY, 

1865-1866. 


General  Assembly  of  1866.  Vacant  Chair  of  Dr.  Rice.  Dr.  MacMaster 
Succeeds  to  it.  Causes  of  this  Restoration.  Proposed  Transfer  of  Dr. 
Lord.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Opposition  to  the  Transfer. 
Changes  in  the  Board  of  Directors.  Old  and  New  Members.  New  Policy 
Inaugurated.  Mr.  McCormick's  Views.  His  Attendance  on  the  Assembly 
of  1866.  His  Statement  for  the  Assembly.  Why  Opposed  to  Dr.  Lord.  Dr. 
MacMaster's  Seven  Years'  Retirement.  Steadfast  Devotion  of  His  Friends. 
Averse  to  a  Nomination  for  Office.  His  Sterling  Principles.  Change  of 
Public  Opinion.  Triumph  of  the  Party  of  Freedom.  His  Old  Position  as 
to  Slavery  Sustained.  His  Unwillingness  to  be  Nominated  for  the  Vacant 
Chair.  His  Friends  Persevere.  Nominated  by  the  Assembly's  Own  Com- 
mittee. Elected  Professor  Almost  Unanimously.  Vote  of  Thanks  to  Dr. 
Lord.  Dr.  MacMaster's  Letter  of  Acceptance.  His  Christian  Spirit.  His 
Conciliatory  Disposition  toward  Former  Opponents. 

When  Dr.  MacMaster,  after  a  toilsome  service  of  ten  years 
in  connection  with  the  Theological  Seminary  of  New  Albany, 
met  with  his  decisive  defeat  by  Dr.  Rice,  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  1859,  ^^  Indianapolis,  it  seemed  not  at  all  likely 
that  he  would  ever  be  called  to  succeed  Dr.  Rice  in  the  very 
chair  which  was  then  taken  from  him.  Yet  such  was  the  sin- 
gular shaping  of  events,  and  such  the  ordering  of  Divine 
Providence.  Dr.  MacMaster  had  accepted  that  defeat  with 
the  heroic  equanimity  of  a  man  who  believed  in  God's  provi- 
dence, was  conscious  of  his  own  integrity  and  could  say,  as  he 
did  in  closing  his  speech  before  that  august  body,  ''  I  await  the 
event,  whatever  it  may  be,  without  the  slightest  anxiety  on  any 
personal  accounts." 

201 


202  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Such  a  man  can  always  afford  to  wait.  Relieved  of  all 
public  professional  charges  he  lived  in  retirement  with  his 
friends  and  relatives,  first  at  New  Albany,  then  at  Monticello, 
Indiana,  and  afterwards  at  Poland,  Ohio.  And  thus  he  waited 
in  quietness  and  patience  through  seven  years,  until  called  by 
the  voice  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1866  to  the  chair  of 
Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  in  the  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Northwest ;  the  chair  which  had  become  vacant  by  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  Rice  in  1861  had  been  served  in  the  mean- 
time by  Dr.  Lord,  but  had  not  been  filled  by  any  formal 
election   of   a  successor. 

It  would  seem  that  the  chair  had  even  waited  for  him  dur- 
ing all  the  long  years  of  war  and  conflicting  opinions  which 
had  come  between  the  periods.  The  great  issues  resulting 
from  the  contest,  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves,  the  downfall 
of  the  slave  power  and  the  firm  establishment  of  the  national 
union  on  the  basis  of  freedom,  results  for  which  this  gifted 
man  labored  and  prayed,  both  before  and  during  the  war,  all 
now  contributed  their  force  and  conspired  together  with  his 
eminent  ability  as  a  teacher  to  call  him  again  to  the  front  in 
the  Presbyterian  Church  on  the  first  fitting  occasion.  Such  an 
opportunity  occurred  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1866,  when 
he  was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacant  chair  of  Theology  in  the 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

It  was  natural  that  under  such  circumstances  he  should 
regard  the  election,  and  that  all  his  old  friends  and  fellow 
laborers  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  Seminary  should  regard  it, 
not  only  as  the  public  vindication  of  his  character  as  a  man, 
but  as  the  recognized  triumph  of  the  very  principles  of  justice 
and  freedom  for  which  he  had  so  long  and  so  earnestly  con- 
tended, and  in  defence  of  which  he  had  sometimes  been  mis- 
understood and  condemned.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  war  was 
over,  the  country  was  saved,  slavery  was  at  an  end,  the  old 
issues  were  buried,  the  new  ideas  of  equality  and  freedom 
were  accepted.  The  Church  at  large  was  glad  to  see  Dr.  Mac- 
Master  restored  to  a  position  of  honor  and  usefulness,  and  even 
those  who  had  once  staunchly  opposed  his  measures  as  divisive 
and  dangerous  now  stood  ready  to  welcome  his  exaltation. 


1865-1866.  DR.  MACMASTER  RECALLED.  203 

When  the  proposition  to  fill  this  vacant  professorship  of 
Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  already  known  as  the  "  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick  professorship,"  came  before  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  1866,  it  was  in  the  form  of  a  request  from  the  Bonrd  of 
Directors  incorporated  in  their  annual  report.  At  their  meet- 
ing in  April,  1866,  the  Board  of  Directors  had  resolved  to  ask 
the  Assembly  to  fill  the  vacant  McCormick  chair,  not,  however, 
by  the  election  of  a  new  professor,  but  by  the  transfer  ot  Dr. 
Willis  Lord  to  that  chair  from  the  chair  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesi- 
astical History,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  in  1859.  Dr. 
Lord  had  been  filling  both  departments,  one  for  seven  years 
and  the  other  for  five,  and  had  unquestionably  filled  them 
well.  But  to  this  proposal  of  a  transfer  there  was  strong  oppo- 
sition in  the  Board  of  Directors,  especially  on  the  part  of  those 
who  had  been  longest  in  office,  who  felt  that  the  interests 
of  the  Seminary  required  a  new  man  in  that  chair.  The  vote 
stood  twelve  for  transfer,  and  against  it  nine.  By  a  similar  vote 
the  Board  requested  the  Assembly  to  fill  the  chair  to  be  made 
vacant  by  Dr.  Lord's  transfer  by  electing  a  fourth  professor.  ^ 

The  Board  of  Directors  in  laying  this  divided  action  before 
the  General  Assembly  of  1866  in  their  annual  report  accom- 
panied it  with  the  following  statement : 

"  At  the  late  meeting,  the  Board,  by  a  vote  of  eleven  against 
nine  (it  should  be  twelve  against  nine,  as  stated  above),  resolved 
to  ask  the  Assembly  to  transfer  Dr.  Lord  to  the  '  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,' 
and  also  to  elect  a  fourth  professor.  The  Assembly  should 
know  that  the  opposition  to  both  these  resolutions  is  very  firm, 
and  is  from  members  who  generally  have  been  longest  in  the 
Board,  and  also  have  borne  and  yet  bear  the  burden  of  the 
support  of  the  Seminary."  f 

In  explanation  of  this  divided  action  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors it  is  necessary  to  state  that  there  had  been  a  considerable 
change  in  its  membership  effected  by  the  General  Assembly  of 
1865.  By  the  election  of  that  year  some  of  the  old  faithful 
and  working  members  were  dropped,  in  order  to  make  room 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  266-268. 
t  Minutes  of  General  Assembly  of  1866,  pp.  46,  140. 


204  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEiyilNARY. 

for  new  members  who  had  hitherto  taken  no  part  and  had  felt 
no  sympathy  with  the  Seminary  as  organized  by  the  Assembly 
of  1859.  The  purpose  was  avowed  of  bringing  the  manage- 
ment of  the  institution  more  into  harmony  with  the  prevailing 
sentiments  of  the  times  on  the  great  disturbing  questions 
created  by  the  war  and  the  reconstruction  measures  following 
it.  This  had  already  changed  the  complexion  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  as  to  party  politics,  taken  the  direct  control  out  of 
the  hands  of  those  who  had  been  the  chief  supporters  of  the 
Seminary,  and  given  to  its  new  friends  and  aUies  what  was  called 
**a  good  working  majority,"  that  is  of  republicans. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  present  at  St.  Louis  during  the  sessions 
of  the  Assembly,  and  was  in  daily  consultation  with  many  of 
its  leading  members.  He  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  pro- 
posed transfer  of  Dr.  Lord  to  the  chair  which  bore  his  name, 
not  only  because  of  the  position  of  direct  antagonism  in  which 
Dr.  Lord  stood  towards  himself  and  his  own  opinions,  but 
because  he  did  not  regard  Dr.  Lord  as  eminently  qualified  to 
fill  the  chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology.  He  was  sat- 
isfied that  Dr.  Lord  should  retain  the  chair  of  History,  to  which 
he  had  been  elected  by  the  Assembly  of  1859,  but  he  did  not 
believe  that  it  was  for  the  best  interests  of  the  Seminary  that 
Dr.  Lord  should  be  placed  in  the  other  chair.  In  this  opinion 
many  of  the  oldest  and  wisest  friends  of  the  institution  con- 
curred. Mr.  McCormick  had  already  paid  into  the  treasury  of 
the  Seminary  too  large  a  sum  not  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  all 
its  movements,  and  he  stood  ready  to  pay  over  the  remainder  of 
his  endowment  the  moment  that  it  was  made  certain  that  the 
institution  would  not  be  diverted  from  the  control  of  those 
friends  and  supporters  who  had  originally  endowed  and  sus- 
tained it.  He  was  accordingly  present  at  the  Assembly  of 
1866,  an  interested  spectator  of  all  its  proceedings,  even  as  he 
had  been  at  the  Assembly  of   1859. 

The  following  paper,  written  by  him  at  the  time,  and  after- 
wards published,  deserves  a  place  in  this  history,  as  illustrating 
the  state  of  affairs  in  1866,  and  as  showing  the  exact  attitude 
in  which  he  stood  at  the  time,  both  to  the  Assembly  and  to  the 
Seminary.      It  is  entitled  "  An  Address,  prepared  by  Mr.  C.  H. 


1865-1866.  DR.  MACMASTER  RECALLED.  205 

McCormick,  at  St.  Louis,  to  be  delivered  to  the  General 
Assembly,  then  in  session,  in  1866,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Henry  Day,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  elder  in  Dr.  Rice's  church,  to 
be  presented  to  the  Assembly,  but  who  failed  to  get  a  suitable 
opportunity  to  do  so,"  and  is  as  follows  : 

''To  the  Moderator  of   the  General   Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  St.  Louis  : 

"  In  view  of  the  course  proposed  to  be  taken  in  this  Assem- 
bly in  relation  to  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest, 
I  had  intended  to  explain  to  your  committee  on  seminaries, 
prior  to  its  final  action,  the  views  of  the  friends  and  supporters 
of  this  Seminary  as  to  the  said  proposed  course  of  action,  but 
was  deprived  of  the  opportunity  to  do  so  by  the  assurances  of 
an  active  member  of  the  Assembly  that  no  immediate  action 
on  the  subject  would  be  taken  by  the  committee,  that  there 
would  be  ample  time,  and  that  from  the  conversation  between 
him  and  myself,  which  he  seemed  properly  to  appreciate,  he 
thought  it  better  not  to  send  a  paper  to  the  committee  until 
something  further  could  be  ascertained,  which  he  promised  to 
do  and  to  report  to  me.  Next  day,  however,  the  committee 
made  its  report  to  the  Assembly. 

"  It  is  with  much  reluctance,  Mr.  Moderator,  that  I  can  con- 
sent to  trespass  upon  the  indulgence  of  the  Assembly  in  con- 
suming a  moment  of  its  time.  Nothing  but  a  sense  of  duty 
impels  me  to  it,  with  a  desire  that  my  own  position,  and  that 
of  the  friends  of  this  Seminary,  may  be  known  to  the  Assem- 
bly, and  that  whatever  shall  be  done  by  the  Assembly  in  the 
matter  shall  be  with  a  knowledge  of  the  facts  in  the  case ;  that 
the  responsibility  may  then  rest  where  it  properly  belongs. 

"  Now,  sir,  as  it  has  been  openly  avowed  (for  a  supposed 
good  purpose)  by  the  member  of  this  body  referred  to,  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Seminary  (Mr.  Jesse  L.  Williams),  that  the  changes 
proposed  to  be  made  in  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Semi- 
nary, as  well  as  the  election  of  a  professor  to  the  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  are 
to  be  made  on  political  or  party  grounds  and  from  party  consid- 
erations; as  you,  sir,  in  the  presence  of  this  Assembly,  have 
kindly  and  in  flatterincr  terms,  though  in  a  different  connection. 


2o6  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

referred  to  my  political  position  before  the  country,  you  will 
allow  me  one  word  for  myself  and  friends  in  that  connection. 

"  My  political  principles,  while  not  in  harmony  with  the 
majority  on  this  floor,  are  now  the  same  as  when  I  proposed  to 
endow  the  professorships;  the  same  as  when,  in  1864,  I  was  in 
nomination  for  Congress,  when,  yielding  to  no  one  as  a  union 
man,  I  was  alike  opposed  to  connecting  politics  with  religion, 
or  with  the  social  or  business  relations  of  life.  But,  while 
myself  believing  democratic  principles  in  the  government  of 
the  country  as  essential  as  ever  to  its  prosperity,  I  can  see  no 
justification  whatever  for  the  proscription  now  proposed  in  the 
management  of  the  Seminary.  Heretofore  no  such  tests  have 
been  applied  or  thought  of ;  while  now,  in  the  language  of  Mr. 
Jesse  L.  Williams  in  the  conversation  referred  to,  with  about 
three-fourths  of  the  whole  number  of  directors  republican, 
further  changes  are  to  be  made  for  a  '  good  working  majority.' 

"  I  approached  Mr.  Williams  as  the  leading  opposition 
member,  who  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Seminary  proposed  and  carried  by  a  majority  of  eleven 
(twelve)  to  nine  a  motion  to  transfer  Dr.  Lord  to  the  chair  of 
Theology  and  to  elect  a  fourth  professor.  I  desired  to  know 
of  him  the  reason  for  desiring  a  man  in  the  chair  of  Theology 
of  known  hostility  to  myself  and  friends,  the  only  chair  of  the 
four  endowed  by  me  that  bore  my  name,  and  while  we  had  to 
the  present  time  not  only  endowed  the  professorships  but  pro- 
cured nearly  all  the  property  and  funds  in  and  for  the  Semi- 
nary. This  he  admitted,  and  added  that  the  object  of  himself 
and  friends  was,  by  placing  their  man  in  the  chair  of  Theology, 
to  so  interest  their  friends  generally,  who  had  heretofore  stood 
aloof  and  done  next  to  nothing,  that  they  would  now  come 
forward  and  take  the  responsibility  of  providing  the  requisite 
funds  for  the  completion  of  the  buildings  undertaken,  supple- 
menting the  endowment  of  professorships,  etc.,  which  would 
require  in  the  aggregate  at  least  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  While  we  had  done  our  part  well,  they  had,  he  said, 
ample  means  for  accomplishing  the  work  and  should  now  do 
their  part ;  and  to  that  end  they  thought  it  best  to  have  a  good 
working  majority  of  directors. 


I865-I866.  DR.  MACMASTER  RECALLED. 


207 


"  I  replied  I  supposed  there  must  be  some  such  money  calcu- 
lation, as  they  could  hardly,  by  such  a  course,  expect  from  me 
the  unpaid  installment  for  that  chair.  J  also  stated  that  I 
understood  from  one  of  Dr.  Rice's  friends  that  if  he  (Rice) 
were  wanted  in  that  chair  again,  further  funds  could  be  raised 
among  his  friends  in  New  York  to  increase  the  endowment  of 
it  for  him,  which  would  be  a  permanent  help  to  the  Seminary. 
I  further  inquired  of  Mr.  Williams  if  the  possession  of  that 
particular  chair  was  necessary  to  interest  his  friends  in  the 
Seminary;  and  if,  indeed,  while  admitting  that  we  had  done  so 
well,  they  could  not,  '  now  that  slavery  was  dead,'  come  for- 
ward and  co-operate  with  us  in  the  great  work  of  carrying  for- 
ward this  institution. 

''  He  remarked  that  he  was  glad  I  had  introduced  the  con- 
versation, regretted  it  had  not  taken  place  sooner,  would  see 
whether  anything  further  could  be  done,  there  was  still  suffi- 
cient  time  to  see,  as  nothing  would  be  done  by  the  committee 
for  some  days,  would  let  me  know,  but  thought  Dr.  Rice 
need  hardly  be  thought  of  further,  while  Dr.  MacMaster,  who 
would  probably  be  preferred  to  Dr.  Lord,  would  also  be  sup- 
ported by  endowment  if  elected.  Next  day  he  remarked,  on 
meeting  me,  that  Dr.  MacMaster  would  be  elected,  and  the 
same  day  the  committee  reported.  The  nine  directors  referred 
to  opposed  the  election  of  a  fourth  professor  at  this  time. 
They  were  old  directors,  representing  the  views  of  those  who 
had  sustained  the  Seminary.  They  opposed  the  election  on 
the  ground  that  there  was  still  a  material  deficiency  of  funds 
for  its  support." 

Though  this  paper  of  Mr.  McCormick  did  not  go  before  the 
Assembly  or  its  committee  on  seminaries,  still  his  views  were 
well  known  to  the  leading  members  on  both  sides,  with  whom 
he  was  in  daily  communication,  and  unquestionably  had  weight 
in  shaping  the  conclusion  finally  reached  by  the  body.  Mr. 
McCormick  had  not  undertaken  to  endow  the  Seminary  alone. 
He  had  made  a  good  beginning.  But  what  he  desired  and 
expected,  as  expressed  in  this  candid  paper,  was  co-operation 
and  united  work  on  the  part  of  the  whole  Church,  and  of 
all  parties  interested  in  the  Seminary.     There  can  be  no  doubt 


208  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

of  Mr.  McCormick's  continued  interest  in  the  Seminary,  and 
that,  if  the  General  Assembly  had  felt  disposed  at  that  time  to 
recall  Dr.  Rice  to  the  vacant  chair,  Mr.  McCormick  would  have 
paid  at  once  his  last  installment  of  the  endowment. 

While  these  influences  were  at  work  in  the  Assembly,  there 
was  another  independent  proposition,  which  had  been  much 
discussed  among  the  members  of  the  body,  and  was  rapidly 
gaining  ground  every  day.  It  was  the  proposal  to  place  Dr. 
MacMaster  in  the  vacant  chair  of  Theology.  Some  of  his 
former  pupils,  and  many  of  his  warm  personal  friends,  were 
influential  members  of  the  Assembly,  as  Dr.  R.  L.  Stanton,  its 
moderator.  Dr.  J.  G.  Monfort,  Dr.  T.  E.  Thomas,  Dr.  R.  C. 
Matthews,  Dr.  J.  P.  Safford,  and  elders  James  Blake,  J.  H. 
McCampbell  and  Jesse  L.  Williams.  On  the  Assembly's 
committee  on  theological  seminaries  was  Rev.  John  Crozier, 
of  Olney,  Illinois,  one  of  Dr.  MacMaster's  early  pupils  and 
most  attached  personal  friends,  who  was  with  him  in  the 
Assembly  of  1859,  when  he  was  displaced  from  the  chair  of 
Theology,  and  who  had  never  lost  hope  of  seeing  the  day  when 
it  would  be  restored  to  him.  Mr.  Crozier  and  other  brethren, 
during  the  autumn  preceding  this  Assembly,  had  held  some 
conferences  and  correspondence  in  regard  to  the  policy  of  pro- 
posing Dr.  MacMaster  for  this  chair,  of  Theology,  for  which 
they  knew  him  to  be  so  eminently  fitted.  They  felt  that  there 
had  come  a  great  revolution  in  public  sentiment  on  the  subject 
of  slavery,  as  regarded  both  the  nation  and  the  Church. 
Slavery  was  dead,  and  with  it,  they  thought,  all  the  old  issues 
and  controversies  growing  out  of  it  should  be  buried.  There 
could  then  be  no  reason  why  so  able  a  man  as  Dr.  MacMaster 
should  be  kept  from  serving  the  Church  in  the  one  great  work 
for  which  he  was  so  fully  prepared. 

It  was  known  to  these  brethren  that  Dr.  MacMaster,  while 
preaching  as  opportunity  offered,  had  been  invited  to  accept 
prominent  positions  in  other  communions,  if  he  would  leave 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  but  that  he  had  declined  such  over- 
tures out  of  a  loyal  preference  for  his  own  church.  It  was  also 
now  certain  that  on  the  one  question  on  account  of  which  he 
had  been  ostracised  and  ousted  from  his  fitting  employm.ent  of 


1865-1866.  DR.  MACMASTER  RECALLED.  209 

theological  teacher,  the  mind  of  the  great  church  which  had 
seven  years  before  cast  him  out  had  undergone  a  change  so 
great  as  virtually  to  have  come  over  to  his  own  views,  and 
even  to  have  gone  beyond  them.  That  church  was  now  ready 
to  reaffirm  all  its  old  testimonies  against  slavery,  for  which  he 
had  so  persistently  contended. 

"  I  clung  to  the  opinion,"  (after  conferring  with  his  brethren 
in  1865)  says  Mr.  Crozier,  "that  the  time  had  come,  or  would 
have  come  before  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
1866,  when  every  difficulty  would  vanish,  and  that  it  would 
become  patent  to  all  that  honor,  duty,  justice,  a  wise  public 
policy,  and  the  very  best  interests  of  theological  education  in 
the  Northwest,  and  above  all  harmony  among  the  brethren, 
would  be  promoted  by  the  election  of  Dr.  MacMaster  to  this 
place  again,  and  that  the  voice  of  the  Church  would  say, 
'  Amen.'  But  I  also  saw  that  one  essential  element  in  the 
solution  of  the  problem  would  be  for  Dr.  MacMaster's  friends, 
in  connection  with  his  nomination,  to  be  able  also  to  give 
assurances  that  if  he  was  recalled  to  this  place  in  the  Seminary 
we  would  come  forward  with  funds  to  endow  his  chair."  - 

Mr.  Crozier,  in  the  autumn  of  1865,  had  a  visit  from  Dr. 
MacMaster,  during  which  Mr.  Crozier  ventured  to  approach 
him  on  the  subject  of  being  recalled  to  this  vacant  chair.  Dr. 
MacMaster  expressed  himself  as  altogether  averse  to  the  propo- 
sition, saying  that  he  had  never  sought  any  public  ofBce  ;  that, 
while  he  had  always  held  himself  subject  to  any  call  for  service 
the  Church  might  claim  at  his  hands,  he  was  utterly  opposed  to 
seeking  anything  for  himself,  or  to  having  his  friends  seek  it 
for  him.  Though  he  was  out  of  public  employment,  and  had 
been  so  for  several  years,  his  own  self-respect  and  honor  and 
dignity  forbade  him  to  say  beforehand,  even  to  his  best  friends, 
that  he  would  or  would  not  accept  this  or  that  particular  ser- 
vice, which  might  never  be  offered  to  him.  And  in  this  case, 
much  as  the  times  were  changed,  he  had  no  reason  to  believe 
that  this  particular  ofifice,  from  which  he  had  been  thrust  out, 
would  be  restored. "^^ 

In  February  of   1866,  Mr.  Crozier  and  other  friends  had  some 

*Ivetter  of  Rev.  John  Crozier  to  the  Author. 


210  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

correspondence  with  Dr.  MacMaster  in  reference  to  this  vacant 
chair.  But  in  all  his  letters,  as  in  his  conversations,  he  stood 
firmly  on  the  ground  that  he  would  do  nothing  whatever  in 
that  direction,  nor  consent  that  his  brethren  should  even  use 
his  name  in  connection  with  the  position.  Nothing  could  bet- 
ter illustrate  the  stern  Roman  virtue  of  the  man,  and  the  high 
Christian  principle  of  the  minister  of  Christ,  than  his  answers 
to  all  these  friendly  suggestions.  When  the  matter  was  men- 
tioned. Dr.  MacMaster  invariably  said  that  it  did  not  become 
him,  either  in  person  or  through  his  friends,  to  seek  any  place 
in  the  Seminary  from  which  he  had  been  thrust  out.  That  if 
anything  was  done  it  ought  first  to  be  initiated  by  those  who 
had  the  Seminary  in  charge  and  who  were  responsible  for  its 
management. 

"This  he  did,"  says  Mr.  Crozier,  "  not  only  with  reference 
to  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  but  in  reference  to  the  Semi- 
nary at  Allegheny,  where  some  of  his  friends  who  knew  his 
eminent  fitness  for  such  a  place  sought  to  have  him  appointed. 
His  high  sense  of  honor  and  personal  self-respect,  and  his 
utter  abhorrence  of  all  self-seeking  and  place-hunting,  never 
forsook  him,  even  for  seven  long  years,  during  which  he 
remained  without  any  appointment  to  such  positions  of  trust 
and  service  as  he  was  best  fitted  for."  He  showed  in  all  his 
correspondence  that  he  was  much  more  careful  to  avoid  the 
imputation  of  any  unworthy  seeking  of  place  than  he  was  to 
obtain  any  place  at  Chicago  or  elsewhere. 

During  his  seven  years  of  retirement  from  public  office  he 
had  cheerfully  accepted  such  calls  to  service  from  his  brethren 
in  preaching  as  he  received  from  time  to  time,  and  he  was,  says 
Mr.  Crozier,  always  in  demand  somewhere.  On  one  occasion 
he  said  :  '*  As  to  the  future,  my  plans  do  not  reach  very  far. 
It  is  necessary  for  me  to  provide  the  means  of  subsistence  for 
myself  and  those  dependent  on  me.  My  brethren,  perhaps, 
will  censure  me  for  thus  turning  aside  from  my  proper  work. 
It  is  true  that  I  have  had  the  offer  of  congenial  employment 
in  several  other  denominations,  including  the  intimation  in 
express  terms  that  I  could  have  either  the  presidency  of  a  col- 
lege or  a  place  in  a  theological   school,  if  I  would  change   my 


1865-1866.  DR.  MACMASTER  RECALLED.  211 

ecclesiastical  relations.  But  I  think  it  my  duty  rather  to  abide 
in  the  church  in  which  my  lot  has  been  cast,  and,  if  need  be, 
to  get  my  bread  by  planting  corn  and  feeding  cattle."  On 
another  occasion  he  said  :  "  The  only  way  you  can  help  me  is 
by  your  friendship  and  your  prayers."  While,  therefore,  a 
high  sense  of  honor  and  duty  would  not  allow  this  venerable 
man  to  do  anything,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  seeking 
office,  we  do  not  wonder  that  his  old  friends  and  pupils  should 
take  up  the  matter  spontaneously,  and  avail  themselves  of 
their  first  good  opportunity  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1866 
to  terminate  the  enforced  exile  by  recalling  this  more  than 
Cincinnatus  from  the  plow  and  the  herd  to  his  appropriate 
and  honorable  position  in  the  Church. 

Although  Dr.  MacMaster  had  to  the  last  refused  to  allow 
his  name  to  be  brought  before  the  Assembly  for  the  vacant 
chair,  and  in  his  very  last  letter  to  Mr.  Crozier  before  the  meet- 
ing of  the  body  had  "  peremptorily  forbidden  his  friends  to  do 
anything  in  that  direction,"  and  had  directed  that  "if  any  steps 
whatever  had  been  taken  for  such  a  purpose  they  should  be 
reversed,"  still,  when  those  friends  came  together  as  commis- 
sioners in  the  Assembly,  they  found  a  sentiment  so  strong  in 
favor  of  Dr.  MacMaster's  recall  that  they  determined  to  hold  a 
meeting  to  consider  the  question.  Accordingly,  about  forty 
ministers  and  elders,  mostly  commissioners,  met  at  the  call  of 
Mr.  Crozier  in  the  rooms  of  Mr.  Jesse  L.  Williams  in  the 
Southern  Hotel,  and,  with  Mr.  James  Blake  of  Indianapolis  as 
chairman  of  the  meeting,  discussed  the  question  whether,  under 
all  the  circumstances,  it  was  right  and  proper  to  bring  forward 
Dr.  MacMaster's  name  for  the  chair  of  Theology  at  Chicago. 

After  a  full  comparison  of  views  the  unanimous  vote  of  the 
meeting  was  that  it  was  ''  expedient  and  proper  to  bring  for- 
ward the  name  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  and  that  the  time  had  come 
when  the  cause  of  truth  and  justice  required  that  he  should  be 
elected  to  the  vacant  chair  of  Theology  at  Chicago."  Some 
of  the  directors  of  the  Seminary  who  were  intensely  opposed 
to  the  proposed  transfer  of  Dr.  Lord  to  the  chair  of  Theology 
were  also  commissioners  to  the  Assembly.  They  said  to  the 
friends  of  Dr.  MacMaster  that,  if  the  choice  lay  between  Dr. 


212  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Lord  and  Dr.  MacMaster,  they  would  vote  solidly  for  the  lat- 
ter. The  friends  of  Dr.  MacMaster  were  also  assured  that 
Mr.  McCormick,  who  was  at  the  Assembly,  and  who,  it  was 
known,  would  like  to  see  Dr.  Rice  re-elected  to  that  chair,  as 
between  the  two,  Dr.  Lord  and  Dr.  MacMaster,  would  greatly 
prefer  the  latter."^" 

This  decisive  action  of  the  friends  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  who 
soon  found  that  the  Assembly  was  largely  with  them,  could 
not  fail  to  have  weight  with  the  committee  on  seminaries,  of 
which  Dr.  D.  J.  Waller  was  chairman  and  of  which  Mr. 
Crozier  was  himself  an  influential  member.  They  accordingly 
concluded  to  nominate  Dr.  MacMaster  for  the  chair  of  The- 
ology. 

When  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Directors  proposing  to 
transfer  Dr.  Lord  to  the  chair  of  Theology  came  before  the 
Assembly  of  1866,  it  was  referred  us  usual  to  the  Assembly's 
committee  on  theological  seminaries.  This  committee,  after 
examining  all  the  papers  and  conferring  with  the  different 
parties  in  attendance  at  the  Assembly,  reported  the  following 
minute  for  adoption  : 

"  The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest  resolved  by  a  vote  of  twelve  to  nine  to  request 
the  Assembly  to  transfer  Dr.  Lord  to  the  Cyrus  H.  McCormick 
professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  and  also  to 
fill  the  fourth  professorship  by  an  election  of  a  fourth  pro- 
fessor. The  Board,  however,  inform  the  Assembly  that  the 
opposition  to  these  acts  is  very  firm  and  weighty.  The  friends 
of  the  Seminary  present  in  St.  Louis,  from  all  parts  of  the 
Northwest,  including  a  large  number  of  the  directors  of  the 
Seminary,  have  had  frequent  conferences  on  this  subject,  and 
have  arrived  at  a  good  degree  of  unanimity.  Their  views 
having  been  communicated  to  your  committee,  it  has  been  our 
unanimous  conclusion  that  both  the  comfort  and  the  useful- 
ness of  Dr.  Lord  will  be  best  secured  by  retaining  his  valuable 
services  in  his  present  department. 

**  Your  committee  therefore  recommend  that  this  Assembly 
proceed  to  the  election  of  a  professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic 

*  I^etter  of  Rev.  John  Crozier  to  the  Author. 


1865-1866.  DR.  MACMASTER  RECALLED.  213 

Theology,  and  we  would  respectfully  ask  leave  to  nominate  for 
this  chair  the  Rev.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  D.D."  ^ 

The  report  of  the  committee  was  adopted,  and  Dr.  Mac- 
Master  was  accordingly  put  in  nomination.  Whereupon  Henry 
Day,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  rose  and  nominated  Dr.  N.  L.  Rice, 
and  Judge  Lincoln  Clark,  of  Chicago,  nominated  Dr.  Willis 
Lord.  When,  a  day  or  two  later,  the  Assembly  proceeded  to 
vote  on  the  nominations,  it  was  manifest  that  a  very  strong 
feeling  had  been  created  in  favor  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  whose 
consummate  ability  was  on  all  hands  conceded,  and  whose 
dignified  patience  under  former  trials,  as  well  as  his  sterling 
integrity,  had  won  general  admiration.  The  names  of  Dr. 
Rice  and  Dr.  Lord  were  by  their  friends  withdrawn  from  the 
canvass,  and  Dr.  MacMaster  was  accordingly  elected  by  an 
overwhelming  majority,  there  being  scarcely  a  dissenting  voice. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  inform  him  of  his  election. 

The  committee  on  theological  seminaries  also  recommended 
the  following  resolutions,  which  were  adopted : 

*'  1st.  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  General  Assembly 
are  due  and  are  hereby  tendered  to  the  Rev.  Willis  Lord,  D.D., 
for  the  able  and  faithful  manner  in  which  he  has  discharged 
the  duties  of  the  chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  in 
addition  to  the  regular  duties  of  his  own  department,  during 
the  vacancy  in  that  chair  in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest. 

*'  2d.  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  resolution  be  transmit- 
ted to  Dr.  Lord  by  the  stated  clerk  of  the  General  Assembly." 

When  Dr.  MacMaster's  election  was  communicated  to  him 
by  the  committee  of  the  Assembly  he  returned  to  them  an 
appropriate  and  graceful  response,  accepting  the  appointment 
in  terms  in  the  highest  degree  manly  and  characteristic.  His 
letter  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  spirit  of  the  man  who  was 
thus  signally  and  unexpectedly  called  to  this  high  of^ce. 

"Poland,  Ohio,  July  10,  1866. 
"  To   Rev.   Thomas  E.  Thomas,  D.D.,  Rev.  R.  G.  Thompson 
and  John  C.  Grier,  Esq.,  committee  : 

*' My    Dear   Brethren:    Your   favor   of   the    nth  of   June, 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1866,  p.  46. 


214  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

informing  me  that  I  had  been  appointed  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  professor  of  Theology 
in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  has  been  duly 
received. 

"  It  is  impossible  that  I  should  not  feel,  with  profound  sen- 
sibility, the  obligation  under  which  I  have  been  laid  by  the 
regard  shown  by  my  brethren  to  myself  in  this  appointment 
and  in  the  spontaneity  and  the  approach  to  unanimity  of  the 
action  of  the  Assembly  and  in  the  views  by  which,  as  I  am 
assured  by  yourselves  and  by  others,  the  great  body  of  its 
members  were  influenced,  concerning  the  significancy  of  which, 
in  reference  to  the  past,  not  less  than  to  the  future,  I  am  not 
left  in  doubt.  It  is  not  I,  but  the  principles,  in  the  mainte- 
nance of  which  I,  along  with  many  other  brethren,  have  borne 
an  humble  part  in  times  past,  that  are  honored  in  this  appoint- 
ment. In  comparison  with  these  all  mere  personal  considera- 
tions are  nothing,  and  less  than  nothing,  and  ought  not  to  be 
allowed  to  come  into  mind. 

'*  The  question  of  my  return  to  the  service  from  which  I 
was  seven  years  ago  relieved  is  not  so  clear  to  me  as  I  could 
wish.  As  I  have  always  had,  sp  have  I  now  more  than  ever  a 
painful  consciousness  of  my  own  insufificiency  for  the  work. 
But,  as  this  is  now  a  question  for  myself,  on  it  I  have  no  dispo- 
sition to  multiply  words,  or  to  invite  my  friends  to  say  what 
their  friendship  or  their  politeness  might  dispose  them  to  say. 
Other  considerations,  too,  have  had  with  me  their  weight, 
especially  that  which  concerns  the  present  endowment,  the 
income  of  which  appropriately  belongs  to  the  professors 
already  in  the  Seminary,  and  which  is  insufificient  even  for 
their  proper  support.  But  this  difficulty  is  obviated  by  the 
spontaneous  action  of  the  brethren  who  have  the  matter  in 
charge,  and  by  whom  I  am  assured  that  the  endowment  of  the 
chair  to  which  I  have  been  appointed  is  to  be  provided  for  by 
an  additional  fund,  so  as  to  preclude  the  necessity  of  drawing 
for  its  support  on  the  present  endowment.  Upon  this  sub- 
ject, therefore,  I  have  no  occasion  to  say  anything,  except 
to  express  my  sense  of  the  considerate  forethought  of  the 
brethren. 


1865-1866.  DR.  MACM ASTER  RECALLED.  21 5 

"  I  have  only  to  say  that,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge,  upon 
as  careful  a  consideration  of  the  subject  as  I  can  give  to  it,  I 
do  not  see  that,  under  all  the  conditions  of  the  question,  I  am 
at  liberty  to  decline  this  appointment,  and  that  I  therefore 
hereby  signify  to  you  my  acceptance  of  it. 

"As  I  have  frankly  referred  to  my  former  relations  to  this 
Seminary,  which  are  well  known  to  all  concerned,  and  to  avoid 
all  mention  of  which  would  therefore  be  a  prudish  affectation 
which  no  one  will  expect  of  me,  I  will  not  be  misinterpreted  in 
saying,  with  equal  frankness,  that,  as  it  has  always  been  my 
habitual  aim  to  act,  in  reference  to  the  public  affairs  of  the 
Church,  from  public  considerations  alone,  so  in  returning  to  the 
service  to  which  I  am  recalled,  I  shall  go  to  it  bearing  on 
account  of  the  past  no  private  griefs  to  be  avenged  and  no 
personal  resentments  to  be  remembered.  The  questions 
which  have  been  in  controversy,  and  by  which  not  alone  the 
comparatively  small  interest  of  this  Seminary  has  been 
affected,  but  the  whole  Church  and  the  whole  nation  have 
been  so  deeply  agitated  and  convulsed,  and  both  have  been  so 
sore  broken,  I  trust  may  be  regarded  as  now  settled,  and  that 
among  us  all  controversy  in  respect  to  these  questions  is  at  an 
end.  The  brethren  who  in  times  past  took  of  these  questions 
views  different  from  my  own  and  those  of  other  brethren  with 
whom  I  acted,  and  who,  on  that  account,  were  opposed  to  our 
designs  and  our  measures,  or  what  they  were  led  to  suppose 
these  to  be,  I  shall  know  only  as  brethren  in  the  Lord,  in  the 
full  persuasion  that  henceforth  we  shall  be  found  joined 
together  in  one  spirit,  with  one  mind,  striving  together  for  the 
advancement  of  this  great  interest,  as  of  every  other  interest 
of  the  kingdom  of  our  God,  which  we  all  alike  have  so  deeply 
at  heart. 

"  The  remembrance  of  the  fearful  conflict  of  the  last  few 
years,  and  the  spectacle  of  our  broken  Church  and  country,  in 
which  the  Holy  One  has  been  teaching  us  by  terrible  things, 
ought  to  prelude  all  glorying  in  the  flesh ;  and,  in  respect  to 
our  Seminary  in  particular,  the  past  has  been  to  us  all  a  disci- 
pline, which  ought  to  lead  us  to  walk  very  softly  and  humbly 
before  God.      For  myself,  it  is  my  earnest  desire,  in  returning 


2l6  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

to  the  service  to  which,  if  I  have  not  been  misled,  I  am  called 
by  the  voice  of  the  Church,  and,  through  the  Church,  of  her 
divine  Head,  to  go  to  it  in  the  fear  of  God,  with  a  single  eye 
to  His  glory,  with  whatever  poor  qualifications  for  it  I  may 
have,  to  be  spent  upon  a  service  of  which  I  am  every  way  so 
unworthy. 

*'  Be  pleased,  my  dear  brethren,  to  accept  for  yourselves  my 
grateful  acknowledgments  for  the  words  in  which  you  have 
been  so  good  as  to  communicate  to  me  the  information  of  this 
appointment  and  to  express  your  own  wishes  for  its  accept- 
ance, words  by  which  my  heart,  unless  it  were  stone,  could  not 
but  be  deeply  affected.  With  great  respect  and  Christian 
affection,  I  am,  reverend  and  dear  brethren,  your  brother  and 
fellow  servant  in  the  faith  and  patience  and  hope  of  the  king- 
dom of  our  Lord. 

E.  D.  MacMaster."  ^ 

*  Wilson's  Historical  Almanac  of  1867,  pp.  174,  175. 


REV.   ERASMUS  D.   MACMASTER,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD. 

1 866- 1 867. 


Auspicious  Opening  of  the  Session  of  1866.  Cordial  Welcome  to  Dr. 
MacMaster.  Increase  of  Students.  Inauguration  by  the  Board.  Proposes 
to  Found  a  Scholarship.  His  Christian  Spirit.  Illness  and  Death.  Sad 
Blow  to  the  Seminary.  His  Last  Sermon.  Last  Lecture  to  the  Students. 
Decisive  Testimony  for  Christ.  In  Full  Possession  of  all  his  Faculties. 
Dr.  Lord's  Account  of  his  Last  Hours.  Messages  to  the  Students.  Impres- 
sive Close  of  his  Life.  Funeral  Services  and  Burial.  Action  of  the  Fac- 
ulty. Testimonial  of  the  Students.  Outline  of  his  Ministerial  Career. 
Minute  on  his  Death  by  the  Board  of  Directors.  His  Eminent  Character 
and  Useful  Life.  Testimonial  to  Character  as  a  Public  Man  by  Dr.  Steven- 
son. Distinguished  as  Preacher,  Theological  Teacher  and  Philanthropist. 
Death  of  Dr.  James  Wood.  His  Connection  with  the  Seminary,  One  of  its 
Early  Benefactors.  His  Ministerial  Character,  Laborious  and  Useful  Life. 
Financial  Services  to  the  Seminary.  His  Work  of  Instruction.  His  Fields 
of  Labor.     Interest  in  Young  Men,    Testimonials  to  Ability  and  Excellence. 


No  session  had  hitherto  opened  in  the  Seminary  with 
brighter  prospects  of  usefulness  and  enlarged  success  than  that 
of  1 866- 1 867.  The  embarrassments  caused  by  the  war  were 
over,  and  all  the  original  professorships  were  now  again  filled. 
Dr.  MacMaster,  the  professor-elect  of  Theology,  was  early  at 
his  post,  in  vigorous  health  and  full  of  new  enthusiasm,  ready 
for  the  opening  of  the  session  in  September.  His  great  repu- 
tation as  the  ablest  theological  teacher  in  the  West  had  pre- 
ceded him.  Professors  and  students,  directors  and  trustees  of 
the  Seminary  were  prepared  to  give  him  a  cordial  welcome  to 
the  long  vacant  chair.  His  striking  personal  appearance,  now 
venerable  with  the  weight  of  years,  his  urbane  and  winning 
manner,    his   fine   conversational    powers,  his   eloquent  pulpit 

217 


2l8  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

ministrations,  all  combined  to  open  for  him  a  door  of  easy 
access  to  the  people  of  Chicago  ;  and  from  the  start  he  won 
golden  opinions  in  all  his  intercourse  with  those  who  heard  him 
preach  or  met  him  in  the  social  circle. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  spirit  of  Christian  kindness  and 
courtesy,  conciliation  and  amity  with  which  he  entered  upon 
his  work  in  the  Seminary.  He  carried  out  to  the  letter  the 
suggestion  he  had  made  on  accepting  his  appointment  to  the 
chair.  He  came  to  us  in  the  magnanimous  spirit  of  Chris- 
tian brotherhood ;  as  one  who  had  buried  all  the  animosities 
and  controversies  of  the  past;  as  one  who  had  "no  private 
griefs  to  avenge,  no  personal  resentments  to  remember."  He 
called  upon  all  parties  alike,  and  showed  them  that  he  was 
ready  to  co-operate  with  all  who  loved  the  Church  and  coun- 
try in  the  one  great  work  which  had  brought  him  here — the 
building  up  of  the  Theological  Seminary  and,  by  means  of  it, 
the  cause  of  Christ. 

The  inauguration  of  Dr.  MacMaster  took  place  in  the  lec- 
ture-room of  the  North  Presbyterian  church  of  Chicago,  on  the 
evening  of  September  6th,  1866,  in  the  presence  of  the  Board 
of  Directors,  at  a  meeting  which  had  been  called  for  the  pur- 
pose by  the  president  of  the  Board,  Rev.  I.  N.  Candee,  D.D., 
and  in  connection  with  the  opening  exercises  of  the  Seminary. 
After  the  introductory  lecture  by  Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.D., 
of  the  Seminary,  Dr.  MacMaster  subscribed  the  pledge  pre- 
scribed by  the  constitution  of  the  Seminary,  and  was  then  ear- 
nestly and  affectionately  charged  by  the  president  of  the 
Board  as  to  the  duties  of  his  high  and  sacred  office.  Dr. 
MacMaster's  inauguration  was  an  event  which  seemed  to  many 
to  mark  a  new  era  in  the  progress  of  the  Seminary.  The  new 
session  opened  the  first  week  in  September  with  fifteen  new 
students  in  attendance,  some  of  whom  had  been  induced 
to  enter  the  Seminary  because  of  his  election.  The  whole 
number  in  attendance  was  thirty-eight,  a  higher  number  than 
had  before  been  reached  in  the  history  of  the  institution. 

At  the  opening  of  the  session  Dr.  MacMaster  entered  upon 
his  labors  with  great  fidelity  and  zeal.  He  discharged  all  the 
duties  of  his  department  to  the  satisfaction  and  delight  of  the 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  219 

students  and  of  his  colleagues  in  the  faculty.  His  lectures  on 
theology,  rich  in  Scriptural  truth,  in  mature  wisdom,  in 
thorough  scholarship  and 'in  ripe  Christian  experience,  were 
listened  to  with  profound  attention  by  the  students,  who  at 
once  felt  themselves  in  the  hands  of  a  master  in  Israel  who  was 
fully  equal  to  his  high  position.  The  daily  presence  of  four 
professors  threw  new  life  into  the  institution,  and  gave  a  tone 
of  spirituality  and  of  scholarly  enthusiasm  to  all  its  public  and 
social  services. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  called  to  inaugurate  Dr.  Mac- 
Master  a  communication  was  received  from  him  proposing  to 
endow  in  annual  installments  a  scholarship  of  $2,500  in  the 
Seminary.  It  was  thereupon  "  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  be  tendered  to  Dr.  MacMaster  for  his 
liberality  to  the  Seminary,  and  that  the  scholarship  founded 
by  him  be  known  as  the  E.  D.  MacMaster  scholarship."  His 
early  and  lamented  death  of  course  defeated  this  good  inten- 
tion. 

In  electing  Dr.  MacMaster  it  was  the  understanding  and 
the  expectation  of  all  parties  that  his  support  should  not  be 
drawn  from  the  existing  funds  of  the  Seminary,  but  be  pro- 
vided for  by  a  special  endowment  to  be  raised  by  the  agents 
of  the  Seminary  for  his  chair.  The  Board  of  Directors  accord- 
ingly at  this  meeting  adopted  the  following  resolutions,  intro- 
duced by  Rev.  S.  T.  V/ilson,  D.D. : 

'' Whereas,  Rev.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  D.D.,  accepted  the 
professorship  to  which  he  was  elected  by  the  late  General 
Assembly  on  the  expressed  condition  that  his  salary  should 
not  be  drawn  from  the  existing  endowment  fund,  which  is 
insufficient  for  the  support  of  the  professors  already  upon  it, 
but  that  a  distinct  fund  should  be  provided  for  that  purpose; 
therefore, 

'*  Resolved,  ist.  That  the  Board,  confiding  in  the  generous 
liberality  of  all  friends  of  the  Seminary,  and  especially  the 
personal  friends  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  would  earnestly  appeal  to 
all  such  friends  for  the  speedy  and  liberal  contribution  of  the 
funds  necessary  for  that  purpose. 


220  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

"  Resolved,  2nd.  That  the  agents  of  the  Board,  who  are 
earnestly  recommended  to  the  sympathy  and  kind  co-operation 
of  all,  are  directed  to  proceed  with  the  utmost  activity  in  this 
work  till  such  complete  endowment  be  secured. 

'*  Resolved,  3rd.  That  the  agents  of  the  Board,  while 
soliciting  funds  for  ^  the  permanent  endowment,  solicit  also 
donations  for  the  payment  of  T)r.  MacMaster's  salary  for  the 
current  year."  ^ 

Dr.  MacMaster  was  cheered  by  the  fact  that  his  friends  and 
the  friends  of  the  Seminary  had  given  heed  to  the  suggestion 
regarding  the  necessity  of  a  further  endowment  for  the  profes- 
sorship in  justice  to  his  colleagues,  and  the  prospect  of  a 
speedy  and  complete  endowment  was  very  bright.  But  the 
carrying  out  of  these  good  purposes,  and  the  great  end  in 
view,  were  soon  cut  short  and  defeated  by  the  sudden  death  of 
the  distinguished  newly  inaugurated  professor.  Dr.  MacMas- 
ter had  been  in  his  usual  health  until  the  29th  of  November, 
when  he  was  confined  to  his  room  by  a  severe  attack  of  pneu- 
monia. He  continued  steadily  to  sink  under  the  power  of  this 
disease  until  Monday  afternoon,  December  loth,  when  at  a 
quarter  to  three  o'clock  he  expired.  All  hearts  were  filled 
with  grief  and  deeply  awed  by  a  blow  so  unexpected,  and,  to 
all  human  appearance,  so  disastrous  and  crushing  to  the 
brightening  hopes  for  the  Seminary.  It  seemed  as  though 
God  himself  had  spoken.  In  taking  away  this  eminent  and 
honored  servant  at  this  special  juncture,  at  the  very  opening 
of  his  useful  career  in  the  Seminary  at  Chicago,  God  seemed 
to  say  to  us :  '*  My  ways  are  not  your  ways,  nor  my  thoughts 
as  your  thoughts ;  what  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou 
shalt  know  hereafter." 

"  At  the  close  of  our  Sabbath  morning  service  on  Nov.  25th," 
said  Dr.  Lord,  "  Dr.  MacMaster  first  spoke  of  being  somewhat 
indisposed.  '  I  feel  a  slight  stricture,'  he  said,  in  reply  to  an 
inquiry  after  his  health.  Two  Sabbaths  previous  to  this  he 
preached  in  my  pulpit  what  proved  to  be  his  last  sermon.  The 
text  was  in  2nd  Timothy,  1st  chapter  and  I2th  verse:  'I 
know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  280,  281. 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  221 

to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that 
day.'  It  was  an  able  discourse,  full  of  the  very  essence  of  the 
gospel.  Though  his  indisposition  increased,  he  met  his  classes 
on  Monday  and  Tuesday.  His  last  lecture  in  theology  was 
devoted  to  an  elaborate  exposition  of  Anselxn's  notable  argu- 
ment for  the  being  of  God  derived  from  the  idea  of  a  perfect 
Being." 

From  the  commencement  Dr.  MacMaster  himself  appre- 
hended a  fatal  result.  Throughout  his  illness,  and  especially 
during  the  last  four  days  of  his  life,  he  seemed  fully  conscious 
of  his  approaching  end,  and  was  enabled  to  bear  the  fullest 
and  most  decisive  testimony  to  the  reality  and  power  of  his 
faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  retained  the  use  of  his  fac- 
ulties to  the  last,  and  gave  repeated  expressions  of  his  peace 
with  God,  of  his  confidence  in  the  blood  of  Christ  as  his  only 
ground  of  hope  ;  and  he  was  enabled  by  God's  grace,  to  which 
he  repeatedly  .referred,  to  meet  death  without  fear.  His  death 
was  calm  and  peaceful  in  an  eminent  degree,  and  his  various 
utterances  preceding  it  were  strikingly  illustrative  of  that 
earnest  simplicity  of  character  and  vigorous  type  of  piety 
which  characterized  his  life. 

Dr.  MacMaster's  death  was  in  an  eminent  degree  remarkable 
and  impressive.  One  of  his  colleagues.  Dr.  Halsey,  was  too 
unwell  at  the  time  to  see  him  ;  but  Dr.  Lord  and  Dr.  Elliott  and 
several  of  the  students  were  with  him  from  day  to  day,  and  also 
his  brother.  Dr.  A.  S.  MacMaster.  One  of  his  most  devoted 
pupils  in  the  Seminary,  now  Rev.  George  L.  Spining,  D.  D.,  of 
New  York,  came  to  him  as  soon  as  the  illness  began,  and 
watched  at  his  bedside  night  and  day  until  his  death.  "  At 
long  intervals,"  said  Mr.  Spining,  ''  he  was  free  from  pain,  and 
he  would  lie  on  his  back,  with  his  eyes  lighted  up  with  anima- 
tion, while  he  quoted  from  memory  whole  chapters  of  the 
Greek  Testament,  giving  also  the  English  version,  and  com- 
menting on  the  true  meaning.  His  memory  and  all  his  mental 
faculties  seemed  to  be  as  strong  and  clear  as  they  had  been  in 
perfect  health."  Amongst  other  things,  in  his  conversations  with 
Mr.  Spining,  he  said  :  ''  If  I  had  my  life  to  go  over  again, 
I  should  read  less  philosophy  and  study  the  Scriptures  more." 


222  HISTORY  OF  AlcCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Dr.  Lord  has  given  an  impressive  account  of  many  of  his 
dying  testimonies  to  the  truth  and  power  of  that  religion 
which  sustained  him  in  this  trying  hour.  Feeling  that  his  work 
on  earth  was  done,  he  said  to  Dr.  Lord :  "  I  have  never 
expected  to  die  ^i  ecstacies,  or  to  experience  such  transports 
as  some  Christians  have  done.  It  would  not  accord  with  the 
character  of  my  mind  or  the  nature  of  my  religion.  But  from 
my  childhood  I  have  trusted  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  trust  in  him 
now.  I  have  no  disturbing  fears,  no  anxiety  as  to  death  and 
the  future." 

"  When  the  Sabbath  of  December  9th  came,"  says  Dr.  Lord, 
*'his  mind  was  as  when  the  sun  shineth  in  its  strength.  On 
going  into  his  room  after  public  worship,  I  found  him  just 
closing  a  series  of  messages  of  love  and  religion  to  dear  rela- 
tives and  friends.  Then,  taking  my  hand  and  renewing 
expressions  of  tender  personal  regard,  he  continued  :  '  I  have 
a  charge  for  our  dear  young  men.  I  want  you  and  Dr.  Elliott 
to  tell  all  and  every  one  of  them  to  strive  to  be  eminently 
godly  men.  I  do  not  undervalue  learning.  It  is  greatly  impor- 
tant. Nor  do  I  undervalue  philosophy,  especially  in  its  rela- 
tions to  religion.  As  you  know,  I  have  given  some  thought  to 
that,  perhaps  more  than  was  useful,  but,  after  all,  the  great 
thing  for  a  Christian  minister  is  godliness.  Say  this  to  our 
dear  young  men.' 

"In  another  connection  he  said,  '  Oh  that  God  would  lead 
thousands  of  young  men,  endowed  by  Christ  with  holy  gifts, 
to  go  out  into  the  world  where  men  are  heaping  up- gold  to 
persuade  them  to  embrace  Christ,  who  is  better  than  much  fine 
gold.'  A  few  hours  before  his  death  he  said,  '  It  is  a  pleasant 
thought  that  I  am  soon  going  to  be  with  that  blessed  mother 
and  my  beloved  father  and  my  dear  sisters ;  and  where, 
besides  those  who  sustain  these  natural  relations,  will  be  all 
the  saints.'  Again  he  said,  when  hearing  the  Scriptures 
quoted,  '  How  much  of  precious  matter  is  contained  in  God's 
Word.  Tell  our  dear  young  men  to  incorporate  it  abundantly 
in  their  sermons.'  When  reference  was  made  to  the  text  of 
his  last  sermon,  '  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,'  he  said, '  That 
is  it,  that  expresses  my  views  and  feelings  now.'     *  You  trust, 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  223 

Doctor,  that  he  is  your  Saviour?'  '  I  know,'  was  his  reply.  '  I 
die  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  eternal  Son 
of  God,  who  redeems  us  from  all  iniquity.'  A  little  later  he  said, 
'  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit,  redeemed,  washed,  sanctified  by 
the  blood  of  the  cross.  I  commit  m.yself  to  Thee  and  Thy 
keeping.' 

"  Life  was  now  fast  ebbing.  He  lay  for  some  time  with  his 
eyes  intently  fixed  upward.  At  length  his  brother  said,  '  Why 
do  you  look  so  earnestly  as  if  to  Heaven?  '  'I  see  the  heav- 
ens open,'  he  replied,  'and  Jesus  on  tlie  right  hand  of  God.* 
Presently  I  asked,  '  Is  Jesus  with  you  now  ? '  The  power  of 
speech  was  almost  gone,  but  he  answered,  '  Yes.'  '  Well,  Doc- 
tor, you  must  rest  in  the  arms  of  Jesus  like  a  little  child.'  A 
smile  lighted  his  countenance  and  his  head  bowed  the  acqui- 
escence which  his  lips  could  scarcely  speak.  '  Jesus,'  it  was 
further  added,  '  is  center  and  sun  of  all  true  theology,'  and 
again  he  gave  a  most  expressive  sign.  Many  of  the  students 
now  came  in  to  see  their  venerated  teacher  once  more.  While 
a  considerable  number  of  them  stood  by,  I  said  to  him,  '  Our 
young  men  are  here  to  see  you.'  He  turned  his  dying  eyes 
towards  them,  but  his  tongue  could  no  more  perform  its  office. 
*  Shall  I  tell  them  for  you  that  Jesus  is  a  precious  Saviour  ? ' 
He  signified  his  assent  most  impressively.  '  Shall  I  tell  them 
to  preach  that  precious  Saviour  ?  '  Again  the  assent  was  decided 
as  it  was  touching.  In  subdued  tones  we  then  sung  the  three 
verses  beginning,  '  Dear  dying  Lamb,  thy  precious  blood.'  In 
a  few  minutes  after  our  song  ceased  our  beloved  friend  had 
exchanged  this  world  for  heaven."  "^ 

Erasmus  Darwin  MacMaster  was  the  second  son  of  the 
Rev.  Gilbert  MacMaster,  D.D.,  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mercer,  Pa.,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1806.  He  was  graduated  at  Union  College,  N.  Y.,  in 
1827,  studied  theology  privately  under  the  tuition  of  his  vener- 
able father,  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  Church  in  1829,  and  was  ordained  to  the  full  work 
of  the  ministry  by  the  Presbytery  of  Albany  in  February,  1831, 
and  installed  pastor  of  the  Ballston  Centre  Presbyterian  church. 

*  Wilson's  Historical  Almanac  of  1S67.  pp.  176-178. 


224  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

He  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  Hanover  College,  Indiana, 
in  the  year  1838,  and  to  the  presidency  of  Miami  University, 
Ohio,  in  1845.  I^"*  the  year  1848,  as  already  stated  in  this  his- 
tory, he  was  elected  professor  of  Systematic  Theology  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  to  which  place 
he  removed  in  1849,  ^^^^  ^^^  which  position  he  continued  eight 
years.  In  1866  he  was  elected  to  the  same  chair  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  with  the  prospect  before 
him  of  many  years  of  useful  and  honorable  service  to  the 
institution  and  the  Church.     He  was  never  married. 

Appropriate  funeral  services  were  held  in  the  Fullerton 
Avenue  Presbyterian  church  under  the  direction  of  the  pro- 
fessors and  Dr.  I.  N.  Candee,  president  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  and  were  attended  by  the  students  in  a  body  and  a 
large  audience.  According  to  his  request,  his  remains  were 
taken  to  Xenia,  Ohio,  and  there  laid  in  the  cemetery  by  the 
side  of  his  father  and  mother  and  sisters.  At  Xenia  further 
services  were  held  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assembly  that  had 
come  together  for  the  occasion.  A  tender  and  appreciative 
address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Thomas  E.  Thomas,  D.D.,  of 
Dayton,  Ohio,  his  devoted  friend  and  associate  in  the  faculty 
of  the  Seminary  at  New  Albany.  This  discourse  of  Dr. 
Thomas,  which  is  described  by  those  who  heard  it  as  one  of 
exceeding  impressiveness,  was  from  the  words  of  Isaiah :  *'  The 
righteous  perisheth  and  no  man  layeth  it  to  heart,  and  merciful 
men  are  taken  away,  none  considering  that  the  righteous  is 
taken  from  the  evil  to  come.  He  shall  enter  into  peace  ;  they 
shall  rest  in  their  beds,  each  one  walking  in  his  uprightness." 
Chap.  57,  vs.  I,  2. 

The  students  met  at  the  Seminary  and  gave  expression  to 
their  deep  grief  and  their  appreciation  of  Dr.  MacMaster's 
noble  character  in  the  following  testimonial :  "  In  this  our 
more  special  bereavement  humanity  has  lost  an  earnest  friend, 
the  Church  a  spiritual  father,  the  world  a  peerless  mind  and 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  a  pillar  of  strength 
and  glory.  His  mind  was  a  deep  channel  of  wisdom  flowing 
out  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  his  heart  was  a  fountain  of 
pure  affection  flowing  out  to  all   mankind.     In   manners  and 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  225 

deportment  he  represented  the  highest  type  of  a  Christian  gen- 
tleman. A  gentle  refinement  and  dignity  graced  his  actions, 
and  the  moral  excellences  of  his  character  beautified  his  daily 
walk  and  conversation.  His  life  was  a  living  epistle,  '  known 
and  read  of  all  men,'  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  ;  and  in  his 
triumphant  death  he  has  bequeathed  a  priceless  legacy  to  the 
Church.  In  his  decease  we  mourn  the  loss  of  a  true  friend 
and  a  wise  teacher,  a  brother  in  Christ  and  a  spiritual  father." 

At  the  first  meeting  held  after  his  death  the  faculty  of  the 
Seminary  adopted  the  following  resolution,  introduced  by  Dr. 
Charles  Elliott : 

''  Whereas,  it  has  pleased  Almighty  God  in  his  inscrutable 
providence  to  remove  from  this  world  our  beloved  friend  and 
colleague,  Rev.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  D.D.,  professor  of  System- 
atic Theology  in  this  Seminary  ;  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  ist.  That  we  thank  God  for  the  rich  manifesta- 
tion of  His  grace,  through  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  calm  and  happy 
death  of  our  departed  brother. 

"  2nd.  That  we  gratefully  acknowledge  the  divine  goodness 
displayed  in  his  high  intellectual  and  moral  endowments,  and 
in  permitting  him  for  so  many  years  to  employ  them  in  the 
service  of  the  gospel,  and  for  the  promotion  of  sound  learning. 

''3rd.  That  we  deplore  the  loss  occasioned  by  his  death  to 
the  Church  and  to  our  beloved  Seminary,  of  which  he  was  so  dis- 
tinguished an  ornament,  and  pray  God  to  sanctify  the  sad  dis- 
pensation to  both  professors  and  students,  by  exciting  them  to 
greater  watchfulness,  activity  and  zeal. 

"  4th.  That  we  tender  our  'sympathies  to  the  relatives  of 
the  deceased,  and  pray  that  they  and  we,  when  God  shall  call 
us  from  this  world,  may  meet  our  departed  friend  and  brother 
in  that  land  where  there  is  no  death,  and  where  love  and 
friendship  are  eternal." 

At  a  called  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  held  January 
3rd,  1867,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  suitable 
minute  on  the  death  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  to  be  presented  at  the 
ensuing  regular  meeting  of  the  Board  in  April.  That  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  Drs.  E.  Erskine  and  J.  G.  Monfort  and 
Samuel  Howe,  Esq.,  read  their  report  April  5th,  1867,  which 


226  •  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

was  adopted  and  entered  on  the  records  of  the  Board.  After 
a  recital  of  the  prominent  events  of  Dr.  MacMaster's  life  and 
labors,  and  a  brief  account  of  his  triumphant  death,  the  minute 
of  the  committee  closed  with  the  following  just  and  worthy- 
testimonial  to  his  noble  character  and  services  as  a  man,  a 
teacher  of  youth  and  a  minister  of  Christ : 

"  It  is  due  to  the  honor  of  divine  grace  that  record  should 
be  made  of  the  grace  vouchsafed  to  this  distinguished  servant 
of  God,  in  the  pure  and  upright  life  which  he  was  enabled  to 
live,  and  in  the  clearness  and  energy  with  which  he  was  per- 
mitted to  give  on  his  dying  bed  his  testimony  in  favor  of  the 
cross  of  Christ  as  the  only  hope  of  a  ruined  world,  '  I  die 
without  a  fear  because  I  die  in  Christ.' 

*'  The  Board  would  also  record  their  high  appreciation  of 
the  eminent  talents,  the  varied  and  extensive  acquirements  for 
which  as  a  preacher  and  theologian  Dr.  MacMaster  was  so 
justly  distinguished.  He  was  confessedly  one  of  the  foremost 
men  of  our  Church.  He  was  in  some  respects  a  representative 
man  of  his  time.  Endowed  by  nature  with  the  noblest  powers 
of  intellect,  blest  from  early  life  with  the  highest  advantages 
of  education  and  early  endowed  with  the  graces  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  he  was  enabled  at  an  early  period  in  life  to  take  a  high 
position  in  the  ministry.  As  a  scholar,  a  theologian,  an  edu- 
cator and  a  preacher  he  was  long  recognized  as  taking  the 
highest  rank.  The  young  men  placed  under  his  instruction  at 
the  different  centers  of  his  influence,  especially  the  students  of 
theology  at  New  Albany  and  Chicago  who  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  his  department,  all  bear  witness  to  his  great 
ability  as  a  theological  teacher. 

'*  As  an  instructive  gospel  preacher,  a  thorough  expounder 
of  the  Word,  few  have  ever  excelled  him.  He  was  clear  in  his 
conceptions  of  truth,  concise  and  logical  in  his  statements  and 
severe  and  exhaustive  in  his  analysis,  even  in  the  most  difficult 
and  abstruse  questions.  As  might  naturally  be  expected  from 
such  intellectual  endowments  and  the  religious  culture  which 
he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  his  godly  parents.  Dr.  MacMas- 
ter was  a  man  of  great  strength,  decision  and  firmness  of  char- 
acter.    He  was  never  daunted  by  opposition,  nor  intimidated 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  227 

by  human  authority.  No  man  in  our  generation  exhibited 
greater  honesty  of  purpose,  or  a  higher  moral  courage  in 
the  formation  and  expression  of  his  views,  than  the  lamented 
subject  of  this  brief  record.  At  the  same  time,  none  was  more 
sensitive  to  the  slightest  wrong  or  injustice  toward  others,  or 
more  regardful  of  the  rights  and  feelings  of  his  fellowmen. 

"  Dr.  Mac^Iaster  was  not  more  the  eminent  scholar  and 
profound  theologian  than  he  was  the  Christian  gentleman. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  the  spirit  of  his  Divine  Master,  to 
do  His  will.  His  whole  deportment  and  bearing  was  full  of 
conciliation  and  kindness.  From  his  first  entrance  upon  his 
duties  until  he  was  prostrated  by  sickness,  his  colleagues  in 
the  faculty  and  the  students  in  the  Seminary  were  equally 
struck  with  the  exceeding  richness  and  fullness  of  Scripture 
truth  in  his  occasional  addresses  and  sermons.  All  who  made 
his  acquaintance  were  deeply  impressed  w^ith  the  dignity, 
solemnity  and  excellence  of  his  character  and  with  the  uni- 
form kindness  and  courtesy  of  his  deportment."  '^ 

The  great  practical  question  of  American  slavery,  on  which 
Dr.  MacMaster  was  brought  into  sharp  conflict  with  Dr.  Rice 
and  other  eminent  men  of  his  day,  was  finally  settled  by  the 
war,  and  need  not  here  be  referred  to,  except  to  say  that 
between  him  and  his  opposing  brethren  it  was  not  a  question 
touching  the  evil  of  slavery,  but  one  as  to  the  true  position  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  regard  to  it  and  how  to  deal  with 
it  and  remove  it.  His  own  convictions  of  truth  and  duty 
on  that  subject  w^ere  clear  and  decided,  and  led  him  to  favor 
all  measures  which  looked  towards  the  complete  and  speedy 
removal  of  what  was  regarded  by  all  parties,  at  least  in  the 
Northern  States,  as  a  great  national  curse.  No  one,  perhaps, 
of  all  the  friends  and  co-laborers  with  whom  Dr.  MacMaster 
was  so  long  associated  at  New  Albany,  understood  his  real 
position  and  views  on  this  subject  better  than  Rev.  John  M. 
Stevenson,  D.  D.,  then  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
that  city,  and  since  secretary  of  the  American  Tract  Society. 
From  an  able  and  appreciative  article  on  the  character  and 
services  of    Dr.   MacMaster,  written   by    Dr.  Stevenson  soon 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  296,  297. 


228  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

after  his  death,  a  few  passages  are  here  repeated,  as  showing 
how  he  felt  and  how  he  acted  in  this  important  crisis  of  his 
history  and  of  his  Hfe  work. 

*'  He  was  of  rare  powers,  large  culture  and  sterling  charac- 
ter. The  writer  has  known  him  for  many  years,  and  has 
regarded  him  as  unsurpassed  in  the  Church  for  intellectual 
acumen,  massiveness  of  thought  and  scholarly  culture,  while 
his  attainments  were  all  laid  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  and  con- 
secrated to  the  cause  which  that  cross  embodies  and  represents. 
Should  such  a  man  pass  from  among  us  without  some  note  of 
those  traits  which  made  him  so  noble  a  specimen  of  the  true 
Christian  gentlemen  ? 

"  He  was  a  man  of  decided  convictions  upon  all  practical 
questions.  And  seeing  clearly,  he  felt  deeply  and  often 
expressed  himself  with  a  strength  and  fervor  which  seemed  to 
the  unthinking  and  the  temporizing  as  disproportionate,  if  not 
censorious.  Truth  was  to  him  above  all  price,  and  he  had 
little  patience  with  those  who  concealed  or  perverted  it  either 
by  words  or  actions.  This  love  for  the  truth  and  reverence 
for  its  teachings  made  him  in  the  course  of  years  a  remarkably 
wise  man.  His  views  upon  the  great  questions  which  agitated 
the  Church  and  the  nation  ten  years  ago,  then  considered 
chimerical,  are  now  verified  with  wonderful  exactness,  while 
upon  questions  of  Biblical  interpretation  and  true  Christian 
philosophy  his  recorded  opinions  command  the  assent  of  the 
best  thinkers  of  our  age. 

"Another  characteristic  was  an  inflexible  purpose  to  do 
what  was  right,  w^hen  he  had  determined  what  that  was. 
What  is  duty  in  this  case?  w^as  the  question  always  asked  by 
him  when  brought  into  a  new  position.  This  question  settled 
by  an  appeal  to  his  infallible  guide,  the  Bible,  he  never 
hesitated  a  moment  in  its  discharge.  The  duty  pointed  out 
might  be  difficult,  distasteful  or  even  hazardous,  it  might 
destroy  his  popularity,  drive  him  from  his  position  of  useful- 
ness and  rob  him  of  daily  support,  but,  with  his  face  set  as  a 
flint,  he  pressed  through  fire  and  water  to  its  accomplishment. 
He  shrank  from  no  toil  or  sacrifice  to  attain  the  end,  and  this 
often  against   the  advice  of  timorous   friends.     Nor  was  this 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  229 

with  him,  as  with  many,  mere  bhnd  stubborness,  but  the  simple 
conviction  that  he  was  right  and  the  inflexible  purpose  to  do 
what  was  his  duty.  When  personal  friends  and  co-laborers, 
destitute  of  his  keen  vision  and  resolute  will,  discouraged  his 
efforts  and  forsook  him  as  an  impracticable  reformer,  he  bowed 
in  sadness  and  waited  humbly  for  the  vindication  he  was 
assured  would  come  in  God's  good  time. 

"  He  opposed  slavery,  not  because  all  who  w^ere  implicated 
in  it  were  necessarily  sinners,  for  of  these  he  spoke  with  great 
gentleness  and  forbearance,  but  because  of  the  iniquitous  laws 
defending  the  system,  which  contravened  the  laws  of  God  by 
separating  husband  and  wife,  parent  and  child,  and  by  holding 
in  enforced  ignorance  of  God's  Word  the  entire  class.  He 
denounced  the  despotisms  of  the  Old  World  because  they 
kept  the  millions  in  ignorance  and  robbed  them  of  their  rights. 
He  contended  against  Romanism  because  it  steeped  the  souls 
of  its  votaries  in  blind  and  unreasoning  superstition. 

"  And  these  laws  which  characterized  American  slavery  he 
denounced  with  unsparing  severity,  and  labored  to  free  the 
Church  and  nation  from  the  responsibility  of  sustaining  them. 
To  the  joy  of  his  heart  he  lived  to  see  the  system  swept  away 
in  this  land,  and  he  looked  for  the  speedy  downfall  of  despo- 
tism in  the  Old  World.  Whatever  tended  to  hasten  this  he 
labored  for.  Whatever  retarded  this  he  opposed,  and  with  a 
persistency  of  effort,  singleness  of  purpose  and  loftiness  of 
resolve  which  placed  him  on  a  level  with  the  apostles  and 
martyrs  of  the  past  ages,  the  highest  embodiment  of  true 
greatness."  - 

In  close  connection  with  the  foregoing  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  Dr.  MacMaster  it  seems  appropriate  to  give  some 
account  of  another  professor,  who  had  been  intimately 
associated  with  Dr.  MacMaster  in  the  faculty  at  New  Albany, 
having,  indeed,  been  largely  instrumental  in  establishing  the 
Seminary  at  that  place  after  its  removal  from  Hanover,  and 
who,  prior  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1867,  had  been  for 
several  years  an  efficient  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at 
Chicago.     This  was  Rev.  James  Wood,  D.D.      In  all  its  early 

*  Wilson's  Historical  Almanac  of  1867,  pp.  179,  iSo. 


230  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

years  of  struggle  the  Seminary  probably  never  had  a  more 
conscientious  and  steadfast  friend  than  Dr.  Wood.  As 
indicated  in  a  former  chapter,  it  was  chiefly  through  his 
wise  personal  agency  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elias  Ayers  were 
induced  to  make  large  donations  for  the  founding  of  the 
institution  at  New  Albany.  He  not  only  at  different  times 
filled  several  important  chairs  in  the  Seminary,  but  he  was  for 
many  years  indefatigable  in  the  work  of  raising  funds,  both  in 
the  East  and  the  West,  to  sustain  it.  From  the  time  he 
became  a  director  at  Chicago,  in  1864,  until  his  remox'al  to  the 
East,  he  was  faithful  and  efficient  in  all  the  meetings  of  the 
Board. 

Dr.  Wood  was  born  near  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  July  12,  1799,  was 
graduated  at  Union  College  in  1822,  studied  theology  at  Prince- 
ton, N.  J.,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Albany.  His  first  pastoral  charge  was  at  Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 
After  acting  as  agent  for  the  Board  of  Education,  he  accepted 
a  professorship  in  the  Seminary  while  at  Hanover,  and  went 
with  the  Seminary  to  New  Albany  in  1840.  Resigning  this 
position  after  some  years  of  service,  he  was  for  a  time  associate 
secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Education,  and  then 
w^as  made  president  of  Hanover  College.  In  1864  he  was 
elected  moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  later  became 
the  first  president  of  the  Van  Rensselaer  Institute  at  Hights- 
town,  N.  J.,  v/here  he  died,  April  7,  1867. 

Dr.  Wood's  theology  was  sound  to  the  core.  He  was  the 
author  of  several  published  volumes  defending  the  doctrines  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  But  on  all  occasions  he  was  a  genial 
and  courteous  defender  of  his  faith.  All  who  knew  him 
regarded  him  as  an  eminently  devout  and  godly  man.  He  had 
a  reputation  in  the  Church  for  wisdom  and  usefulness  second 
to  none,  and  he  shrank  from  no  position  of  hard  and  energetic 
toil.  Says  a  contemporary  :  "  He  was  devotedly  attached  to 
young  men,  especially  to  those  seeking  the  ministry.  His 
excellent  tract  on  the  *  Call  to  the  Sacred  Office'  is  more  often 
sought  for  by  our  pastors,  to  place  in  the  hands  of  young  men, 
than  any  other  production  of  the  kind.  In  all  the  places  in 
which  he  lived  and  labored,  he  secured  the  esteem  and  affection 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  23 1 

of  the  community  as  one  whose  Hfe  was  a  bright  example  of 
the  gospel  which  he  faithfully  preached."  - 

In  previous  chapters  of  this  history  it  has  been  shown  how 
^important  an  agency  Dr.  Wood  exerted  in  the  early  develop- 
ment of  the  Seminary,  both  at  Hanover  and  New  Albany. 
Probably  few  men  in  the  Church,  even  had  they  been  called  to 
the  position,  could  have  accomplished  all  that  he  did  during 
those  years  of  struggle,  of  self  denial  and  unrequited  labor. 
He  stood  ready  to  take  hold  of  any  hard  work  that  needed  to 
be  done  for  the  good  of  the  institution,  and  by  his  zeal,  his 
efficiency  and  his  sound  practical  judgment,  he  proved  himself 
the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  For  twelve  years  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  Seminary  as  an  instructor,  beginning  in  1839 
at  Hanover,  in  the  chair  of  Biblical  Criticism  and  Oriental 
Literature,  continuing  in  the  same  chair  at  New  Albany  until 
1849,  when  he  was  transferred  at  his  own  request  to  the  chair 
of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History,  Dr.  Daniel  Stewart  being 
then  elected  to  the  former  chair. 

By  his  aptness  to  teach,  and  his  ability  to  perform  the  work 
of  more  than  one  chair  of  instruction,  which  he  was  at  times 
called  upon  to  do,  Dr.  Wood  rendered  an  essential  service  to 
the  young  Seminary  during  those  years  at  New  Albany 
in  which  the  faculty,  although  reduced  to  two  professors,  had 
still  to  impart  a  full  course  of  theological  training  to  its  stu- 
dents. But  through  all  this  period  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  render 
at  the  same  time  another  service  of  equal  importance,  without 
which  the  institution  could  not  have  carried  on  its  work,  or 
even  continued  to  live.  This  was  the  raising  of  means  with 
which  to  meet  the  current  expenses.  For  this  service  Dr.  Wood 
was  admirably  fitted,  not  onl}^  by  the  experience  which  he  had 
gained  some  years  before  as  an  agent  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion in  the  Southwestern  States,  but  by  his  wise  judgment,  his 
energetic  zeal  and  his  great  personal  influence  with  men. 
During  the  whole  of  his  life  at  New  Albany  Dr.  Wood  was 
from  time  to  time  engaged  in  this  extra  service  of  raising  funds 
for  the  endowment  and  for  the  current  expenses  of  the  institu- 
tion.    In   fact  it   owed  most  of  its  funds  to  his  wise  foresight 

*  Dr.  Nevin's  Presbyterian  Encj-clopedia,  p.  103S. 


232  HISTORY  OF  iMcCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

and  his  unflagging  zeal.  This  extra  service  was  cheerfully 
assumed,  and  for  it  no  compensation  was  ever  required.  It 
often  lead  him,  especially  during  vacation  time,  to  make  long 
trips  over  the  country,  to  the  East  and  the  West,  sometimes 
supplying  a  vacant  pulpit  for  a  few  months  in  one  of  the  large 
cities  and  soliciting  funds  for  the  Seminary  or  collecting  a 
library. 

After  resigning  his  position  at  New  Albany,  Dr.  Wood 
again  entered  the  service  of  the  Board  of  Education,  being 
made  associate  secretary  in  1854.  But  he  never  lost  his  interest 
in  the  Seminary  he  had  so  faithfully  served  in  its  days  of  trial, 
and  his  name  deserves  an  honored  place  on  the  roll  of  its  early 
benefactors.  In  every  field  of  labor  he  occupied,  in  either  the 
East  or  the  West,  w^iether  in  the  pulpit,  in  the  professorial  or 
the  presidential  chair,  or  in  the  widely  extended  work  of  the 
Board  of  Education,  he  was  always  the  same  consistent,  reliable 
man,  always  the  same  true-hearted  advocate  of  the  Church  and 
of  the  cause  of  Christ.  He  well  merited  the  encomium  which 
was  given  by  a  writer  after  his  death  :  "  His  piety,  his  unobtru- 
sive, patient  industry,  his  calm  sound  judgment  and  his 
thorough  sympathy  with  the  great  ends  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation are  witnessed  in  his  abundant  correspondence,  which 
reached  over  the  whole  country,  in  his  published  writings,  and 
in  the  extensive  and  healthful  influence  he  exerted  in  the 
Church  and  over  the  candidates  for  the  ministry."  "'' 

The  high  position  which  Dr.  Wood  held  in  the  esteem  of 
the  whole  Church  was  evidenced  by  his  election  to  the  office  of 
moderator  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1864.  He  was  at  that 
time  the  president  of  Hanover  College,  to  which  position  he 
had  been  called  in  1859.  -^^  1866  he  resigned  the  presidency 
of  Hanover  and  again  went  to  the  East,  accepting  a  call  to  the 
presidency  of  the  Cortlandt  Van  Rensselaer  Institute  at 
Hightstown,  N.  J.,  "  that  he  might  there,  before  his  removal 
from  earth,  rear  a  monument  to  his  dear  and  honored  friend, 
Dr.  Cortlandt  Van  Rensselaer,  with  whom  he  had  been  asso- 
ciated on  the  Board  of  Education,  and  leave,  by  that  act,  a 
legacy  of  blessing  to  deserving  and  pious  young  men  in  quest 

*  Wilson's  Historical  Almanac  for  iS68.  p.  154. 


1866-1867.  DR.  MACMASTER  AND  DR.  WOOD.  233 

of  a  thorough  education."  But  there  his  contemplated  work 
was  soon  cut  short.  After  a  few  months'  labor  he  was  stricken 
down  with  a  fatal  disease,  which,  within  a  few  days,  terminated 
hfs  valuable  and  fruitful  life. 

When  the  tidings  of  his  death  reached  Dr.  Prime,  editor  of 
the  "  New  York  Observer,"  he  published  the  following  :  "  Two 
or  three  weeks  since  we  saw  Dr.  Wood,  when  he  complained  of 
nervous  prostration,  but  in  other  respects  he  seemed  in  his 
usual  health,  and  his  heart  was  warmly  enlisted  in  the  work  of 
building  up  the  important  school  of  learning  to  which  he  had 
been  called.  His  death,  we  learn,  was  sudden,  but  his  end  was 
peace,  and  he  has  entered  upon  his  reward.  The  ranks  of  the 
Presbyterian  ministry  will  not  furnish  a  man  whose  soul  and 
life  were  more  sincerely  and  heartily  consecrated  to  the  service 
of  Christ.  So  recently  did  we  converse  with  him  upon  his 
plans  for  promoting  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer,  and  his  own 
personal  experience  of  God's  grace  during  his  whole  life,  that 
it  seems  to  us  now  as  if  he  had  just  stepped  from  our  room  to 
go  up  before  the  throne  of  the  Master  and  render  his  account 
with  joy." 

A  similar  tribute  to  his  high  character  and  attainments  was 
borne  by  Dr.  James  Allison,  editor  of  the  "  Presbyterian  Ban- 
ner," of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  who  wrote :  "  Many  hearts  in  the 
Church  will  be  made  sad  by  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of 
Rev.  James  Wood,  D.D.,  so  long  known  in  the  Church,  so 
highly  esteemed  and  so  greatly  beloved.  Dr.  Wood  was  a  man 
of  mark  in  his  day  and  occupied  many  prominent  places  of 
usefulness.  He  took  an  active  part  in  all  the  discussions  which 
received  the  attention  of  the  Church  after  his  entrance  upon 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  In  the  controversies  which  resulted 
in  the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  he  was  a  very  able 
and  successful  writer.  His  work  entitled  '  Old  and  New  The- 
ology' is  the  most  comprehensive  and  the  fullest  exhibition  of 
the  reasons  which  led  to  the  disruption  that  has  ever  been  pub- 
lished. Its  temper,  tact  and  conclusiveness  are  admirable.  All 
who  would  fully  understand  the  whole  matter  then  in  dispute 
should  read  this  volume.  His  theology  was  of  the  soundest 
Westminster  type  and  his  executive  abilities  were  of  a  high 


234  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

order.  He  was  dev^otedly  attached  to  young  men,  especially  to 
those  seeking  the  ministry." 

To  the  same  general  estimate  as  to  Dr.  Wood's  judgment,  wis- 
dom, ability  and  usefulness  in  the  Church,  Dr.  Charles  Hodge 
unites  his  hearty  testimonial.  He  says :  "  In  common  with  all 
his  brethren,  I  ever  regarded  him  as  one  of  our  best,  wisest  and 
most  useful  ministers.  The  important  positions  which  he  was 
called  upon  to  fill  are  proofs  of  the  high  estimation  in  which  he 
was  held.  His  sound  judgment,  dignified  manners,  amiable 
temper,  combined  with  his  learning  and  energy,  secured  for 
him  a  wide  and  happy  influence  in  the  Church."* 

Dr.  Wood  was  first  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Hightstown, 
N.  J.,  but  on  the  death  of  his  wife,  Mrs.  Jane  Pruyn  Wood, 
which  occurred  in  May,  1877,  his  remains  were  removed  to 
Princeton,  N.  J.,  and  there  interred  by  her  side.  One  son  sur- 
vives them,  Rev.  Edward  P.  Wood,  a  minister  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 

*  Wilson's  Historical  Almanac  for  1868,  p.  156. 


REV.   WILLIAM  M.   BLACKBURN,   D.  D. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

TRANSFER  OF  DR.  LORD  TO  THE  CHAIR  OF 
THEOLOGY. 

1867-1868. 


The  Inner  and  Outer  Life  of  the  Seminary.  The  Course  of  Instruction 
Satisfactory.  Parties  in  the  Church.  Divisions  among  Directors  and 
Trustees.  Season  of  Conflicting  Measures  after  Death  of  Dr.  MacMaster. 
Faculty  request  Dr.  Lord  again  to  Teach  Chair  of  Theology.  This  Action 
Confirmed  by  Board  of  Directors.  General  Assembly  of  1867  Elects  Dr. 
Lord  to  Chair  of  Theology.  Action  of  General  Assembly  as  to  Chair  of  His- 
tory. That  Chair  Supphed  by  Drs.  Lord  and  Elliott.  Continued  Opposition 
to  Dr.  Lord.  Dr.  Blackburn  Elected  by  Assembly  of  1868  to  Chair  of 
Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History.  Inauguration  of  Dr.  Blackburn.  Action 
of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Mr.  McCormick  Called  on  for  his  Last  Install- 
ment. Mr.  McCormick's  Reasons  for  Declining  its  Payment.  Correspond- 
ence on  the  Subject. 

For  three  or  four  years  following  the  death  of  Dr.  MacMas- 
ter the  current  of  affairs  in  the  administration  of  the  Seminary- 
did  not  flow  smoothly.  There  was  no  conflict  or  want  of  har- 
mony in  the  work  of  instruction.  This  went  on,  as  it  had  ever 
done,  with  perfect  regularity  and  in  perfect  amity^,  as  regarded 
both  students  and  professors.  The  number  of  students,  which 
had  risen  to  thirty-eight  w^ith  the  coming  of  Dr.  MacMaster  in 
1866,  continued  the  same  for  the  next  session,  but  was  again 
reduced  in  1868,  falling  as  low  as  twenty-three.  The  program 
of  instruction  was  kept  up  satisfactorily  during  all  this  period, 
and  of  the  inward  life  of  the  institution,  intellectually  and 
spiritually,  there  was  no  ground  for  complaint.  The  examin- 
ing committees  of  the  Board  of  Directors  reported  from  year 
to  year  that  the  students  and  the  professors  were  doing  their 
work  successfully. 

235 


236  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

But  within  the  Board  of  Directors  itself,  and  also  in  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  as  well  as  among  other  friends  and  support- 
ers of  the  Seminary,  old  and  new,  there  arose  an  unfortunate 
conflict  of  views  and  policies  respecting  the  management  of 
the  institution,  which  grew  for  several  years  and  was  attended 
with  some  sharp  and  unpleasant  public  controversy.  The 
breach  which  had  been  opened  in  1866,  and  which  some  fondly 
hoped  had  been  closed  again  by  the  election  of  Dr.  MacMaster, 
was  opened  anew  by  his  unexpected  and  much  lamented 
death.  For  that  death  left  the  McCormick  chair  of  Theology 
still  unendowed  and  still  vacant,  to  be  contended  for  by  the 
two  antagonistic  parties  in  the  Church  and  in  the  Seminary 
Boards,  who  regarded  themselves  respectively  as  the  "  old 
friends  "  and  the  *'  new  friends  "  of  the  institution. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  our  purpose  in  these  pages  to  repro- 
duce at  length  the  successive  stages  of  this  protracted  and 
painful  controversy.  But  the  whole  story  of  the  Seminary 
cannot  be  truthfully  narrated  without  some  account  of  the 
things  which  were  said  and  done  during  these  critical  years  of 
its  history.  The  events  themselves  are  important  ;  the  princi- 
ples involved  and  the  results  reached  are  also  important,  as 
showing  the  struggle  through  which  the  Seminary  had  been 
brought  in  order  to  attain  its  present  position  of  large  and 
assured  usefulness. 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  Dr.  MacMaster  his  col- 
leagues in  the  faculty  met  and  requested  Dr.  Lord,  as  he  had 
already  given  instruction  for  several  years  in  the  chair  of 
Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  to  take  charge  of  the  classes 
in  that  department  and  carry  them  through  the  remainder  of 
the  session,  or  until  such  time  as  the  executive  committee  or 
Board  of  Directors  might  take  action  on  the  subject.  Soon 
after  this  a  called  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  held, 
on  the  3d  of  January,  1867,  at  which  the  following  resolution, 
offered  by  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  was  adopted  : 

''  Whereas,  we  are  informed  that,  in  view  of  the  lamented 
death  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  the  faculty  have  requested  Dr.  Lord 
to  give  instruction  in  the  classes  in  theology  until  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Board  ;  therefore 


I867-I868.     DR.  LORD  AND  THE  CHAIR  OF  THEOLOGY.  237 

"  Resolved,  That  we  fully  concur  In  and  heartily  approve  of 
this  arrangement,  and  that  Dr.  Lord  be  requested  to  continue 
to  give  instruction  thus  until  the  end  of  the  term." 

As  has  been  heretofore  stated,  there  was  strong  opposition 
in  the  Board  of  Directors  to  the  transfer  of  Dr.  Lord  to  the 
chair  of  Theology  prior  to  the  election  of  Dr.  MacMaster  ;  nor 
did  that  opposition  cease  when  the  chair  was  again  made 
vacant  by  his  death.  Mr.  McCormick  and  all  those  earlier 
members  of  the  Board  who  felt  and  acted  with  him  on  this 
matter  were  still  opposed  to  the  transfer,  believing  that  the 
true  interests  of  the  Seminary  demanded  a  new  man  for  that 
position,  and  that  Dr.  Lord  should  remain  in  his  own  chair. 
The  Board  of  Trustees,  in  their  report  to  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors in  1867,  distinctly  informed  the  latter  that  ''  Mr.  McCor- 
mick intends  to  contest  the  demand  for  any  further  payment 
from  him  on  his  endowment  fund,  in  view  of  the  action,  and 
treatment  he  received,  at  St.  Louis  during  the  sessions  of  the 
last  General  Assembly,  which  fact  adds  greatly  to  the  present 
embarrassments  which  surround  us  on  every  hand."  "^ 

The  sudden  removal  of  Dr.  MacMaster  in  the  midst  of  the 
session  of  1866  seemed  to  make  it  inevitable  that  the  duties 
of  the  chair  of  Theology  should  again  fall  upon  Dr.  Lord. 
The  project  of  the  transfer,  which  had  been  defeated  in  the 
Assembly  of  1866  by  the  choice  of  Dr.  MacMaster,  was  again 
brought  forward,  and  with  more  success,  by  the  friends  of  Dr. 
Lord  in  the  Assembly  of  1867.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
directors  in  1867,  the  following  report  in  regard  to  the  profes- 
sors of  the  Seminary  and  to  this  particular  chair  was  adopted 
and  sent  up  to  the  General  Assembly : 

"  It  is  with  feelings  of  profoundest  sorrow  that  the  Board 
has  to  report  that  the  Rev.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  D.D.,  who  had 
been  chosen  by  the  last  Assembly  for  the  chair  of  Didactic 
and  Polemic  Theology,  and  who  was  most  earnestly  and 
acceptably  engaged  in  the  duties  of  the  same,  was  suddenly 
removed  by  death  on  the  loth  day  of  December  last.  This 
affliction  falls  heavily  upon  the  Seminary,  not  alone  in  that  it 
removes  from   the  important  chair  of   Theology  one  of    the 

♦Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1867,  pp.  418,420. 


238  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

most  accomplished  instructors  that  the  Assembly  could  place 
in  it,  but  also  in  that  it  clouds  the  prospect,  if  it  does  not  put 
in  doubt  the  possibility  of  the  speedy  independent  endowment 
in  full  of  this  chair  according  to  the  promises  involved  when 
Dr.  MacMaster  was  elected,  and  according  to  the  expressed 
proviso  of  the  lamented  deceased  when  he  entered  the  chair. 

**  In  the  hope,  however,  that  such  may  not  be  the  result  of 
this  sad  bereavement,  and  sensible  of  the  fact  that  it  is  vital  to 
the  interests  of  the  Seminar}^  and  to  its  ability  to  do  the  great 
work  committted  to  it  in  this  vast  field  that  the  chair  of  The- 
ology should  be  immediately  and  ably  filled,  the  Board  asks 
the  Assembly  to  appoint  a  successor  to  him  who  has  been 
taken  from  us.  Of  the  other  professors  the  Board  is  thankful 
that  it  is  able  to  report  that  their  lives  and  health  have  been 
preserved  and  that  they  have  been  able  to  perform  the  duties 
appertaining  to  their  several  departments  through  the  entire 
term  ;  and,  in  addition,  that  Dr.  Lord  added  to  those  of  his 
own  department  instruction  in  theology  during  the  remainder 
of  the  term  after  the  death  of  Dr.  MacMaster."  "^ 

In  accordance  with  this  request  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
the  committee  on  theological  seminaries  in  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  1867  reported  the  following  resolutions  for  the  action  of 
the  Assembly,  which  were  adopted  : 

'*  Resolved,  1st.  That  a  committee  consisting  of  members 
of  the  Assembly  well  acquainted  with  Dr.  MacMaster  be 
appointed  to  prepare  a  brief  and  appropriate  minute  respect- 
ing his  character  and  death. 

*'2d.  That  the  Rev.  Willis  Lord,  D.D.,  be  transferred  from 
the  chair  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History^  to  that  of 
Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology. 

.  "  3d.  That  the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  faculty  of  the 
Seminary  be  requested  to  make  some  arrangement  by  which 
efficient  instruction  may  be  given  in  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical 
History,  until  a  professor  shall  be  elected  to  fill  that  chair. 

**  4th.  That  the  friends  of  this  Seminary  in  the  city  of 
Chicago  and  in  the  various  synods  on  which  the  institution 
chiefly   relies    for    support    be    affectionately    and    earnestly 

♦Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1S67,  p.  417. 


1867-1868.     DR.  LORD  AND  THE  CHAIR  OF  THEOLOGY.  239 

exhorted,  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  that  now  pervades  the 
general  mind  in  church  and  state,  to  endeavor  to  forget  all 
past  differences  and  co-operate  cordially  in  all  practicable 
measures  to  secure  its  full  endowment  and  to  promote  its 
prosperity  and  efficiency  until  it  shall  become  one  of  the  great 
glories  of  the  vast  and  important  field  that  looks  to  it  for  a 
supply  of  well  equipped  heralds  of  the  Cross."  ^ 

The  advice  of  the  Assembly  contained  in  the  last  of  these 
resolutions  was  good  and  well  intended.  But  it  was  unfortu- 
nately coupled  with  a  measure  which  had  already,  on  its  first 
proposal,  widely  separated  those  who  claimed  to  be  friends 
and  supporters  of  the  Seminar}-,  and  which  could  have  no 
other  effect,  as  the  result  proved,  than  to  widen  still  more  the 
breach  between  them.  There  were  those  connected  with  the 
administration  of  the  institution  who  foresaw  and  deplored 
the  conflict  this  measure  would  bring,  but  they  were  powerless 
to  prevent  it. 

The  executive  committee  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and 
the  faculty  were  unable  to  procure  any  suitable  instructor  for 
the  chair  of  History  made  vacant  by  the  transfer  of  Dr.  Lord. 
But  during  the  session  of  1867  that  department  of  instruction 
was  supplied  partly  by  Dr.  Elliott  and  partly  by  Dr.  Lord.  At 
its  next  annual  meeting,  in  April,  1868,  the  Board  of  Directors, 
feeling  the  necessity  of  having  the  institution  fully  manned, 
resolved  by  a  unanimous  vote  to  ask  the  General  Assembly  to 
fill  the  vacant  professorship  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory.  When  the  matter  came  before  the  General  Assembly  of 
1868  several  candidates  were  nominated,  but  the  choice  fell  on 
Rev.  William  M.  Blackburn,  D.D.,  then  pastor  of  one  of  the 
Presbyterian  churches  in  Trenton,  N.  J. 

Dr.  Blackburn  accepted  the  position,  and  was  installed  as 
professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  at  a  called 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  held  September  3d,  1868, 
in  the  North  Presbyterian  church,  Chicago.  After  subscribing 
the  constitutional  pledge  he  was  addressed  in  an  appropriate 
charge  by  the  president  of  the  Board,  Rev.  R.  G.  Thompson, 
after  which  he  delivered  an  inaugural  discourse  on  the  studies 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1S67,  p.  363. 


240  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK   SEMINARY. 

and  duties  of  his  chair.  The  Board  fixed  the  salary  of  Dr. 
Blackburn  at  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  and 
appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  R.  G.  Thompson, 
Mr.  Charles  A.  Spring  and  Mr.  Charles  Crosby,  to  inform  Mr. 
McCormick  that  Dr.  Blackburn  had  been  elected  by  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  and  inaugurated  by  the  Board  of  Directors  as 
professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  in  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

This  committee  addressed  the  following  communication  to 
Mr.  McCormick,  then  in  New  York  City,  under  date  of  October 
i6th,  1868: 
''Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir :  The  undersigned,  a  committee  appointed  by  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west for  that  purpose,  have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  the 
General  Assembly,  at  its  sessions  in  Albany  in  May  last, 
appointed  the  Rev.  William  M.  Blackburn,  D.D.,  to  the  pro- 
fessorship of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  in  the  Semi- 
nary. He  was  inaugurated  and  entered  upon  its  duties  at 
the  beginning  of  this  term.  He  promises  to  be  an  able  and 
proficient  professor.  All  the  four  professorships  in  the  Semi- 
nary are  now  filled.  This  information  is  due  in  view  of  the 
arrangement  heretofore  made  in  regard  to  the  last  installment 
of  your  noble  and  beneficent .  gift  to  endow  the  Seminary. 
The  institution  is  now  in  a  prosperous  condition,  and  its  fields 
of  usefulness  are  rapidly  enlarging.  Uniting  our  prayers  with 
yours  that  the  blessing  of  God  may  rest  upon  it,  we  have 
the  honor  to  remain, 

Yours  very  fraternally,  R.  G.  Thompson, 

C.  A.  Spring." 

To  this  letter  Mr.  McCormick  replied  in  a  long  communica- 
tion, giving  his  views  in  full  on  the  subject  and  defining  his 
own  position  in  regard  to  the  endowment.  Mr.  McCormick's 
paper  addressed  to  the  Assembly  of  1866  has  been  given  in  a 
preceding  chapter.  It  is  necessary  to  quote  now  only  so  much 
of  this  second  communication  as  will  give  a  fair  statement  of 
the  reasons  which  induced  him  to  decline  this  application  of 
the  committee  for  the  payment  of  the  last  installment. 


1867-1868.     DR.  LORD  AND  THE  CHAIR  OF  THEOLOGY.  24I 

"Chicago,  Nov.  17,  1868. 
Rev.  R.  G.  Thompson  and  C.  A.  Spring,  Sr.,  Esq.,  committee : 

Gentlemen  :  Your  letter  of  October  i6th  was  duly  received. 
Circumstances  have  prevented  me  from  answering  it  sooner ; 
and  although  very  busily  occupied  since  my  arrival  here  from 
New  York  on  business,  and  as  I  have  been  approached  on  the 
same  subject  by  the  present  collecting  agent  of  the  Seminary 
(Mr.  Truax),  I  will  not  longer  delay  an  answer.  In  view  of 
statements  which,  as  I  have  been  informed,  have  been  made 
to  your  Board  of  Directors,  I  had  not  supposed  that  such  a 
notice  to  me  would  be  considered  necessary. 

"Learning,  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  General  x^ssem- 
bly  at  St.  Louis,  in  1866,  that,  in  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  a 
proposition  had  been  made  to  transfer  Dr.  Lord  from  the  chair 
of  History  in  this  Seminary  to  the  chair  of  Theology,  I  decided 
to  attend  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  for  the  purpose  of  satis- 
fying myself  of  the  course  to  be  taken  by  that  body,  and,  if 
possible,  of  preventing  the  proposed  transfer  by  making  the 
Assembly  acquainted  with  the  state  of  things  existing  at 
Chicago,  as  between  Dr.  Lord  and  myself  and  friends,  bearing 
upon  that  question.  I  accordingly,  when  there,  sought  an 
interview  with  Mr.  Jesse  L.  Williams,  whom  I  knew  personally 
and  who,  I  was  informed,  was  the  most  active  and  leading 
member  of  the  Assembly  in  connection  with  the  action  sought 
in  relation  to  the  affairs  of  the  Seminary  at  Chicago. 

"  A  large  minority  of  the  Board  of  Directors  had  protested 
against  the  transfer  of  Dr.  Lord,  at  the  previous  meeting  of 
the  Board,  on  the  ground  that  such  transfer  would  be  far  from 
satisfactory  to  the  friends  of  the  Seminary  who  had  contributed 
to  its  endowment  and  sustained  and  carried  forward  the 
institution  successfully  to  that  time,  as  well  as  to  myself,  no 
friendly  intercourse  having  existed  between  Dr.  Lord  and  me 
for  some  years.  I  informed  Mr.  Williams  of  this  fact,  explain- 
ing to  him  somewhat  the  character  of  the  differences  which 
had  existed  between  Dr.  Lord  and  myself  and  friends  who  had 
co-operated  with  me  in  the  establishment  of  the  Seminary ; 
adding  that   I  hoped  the  General  Assembly  would  not  place 


242  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

Dr.  Lord  in  that  chair,  that  I  felt  that  the  interests  of  the 
institution  would  not  be  thereby  promoted,  and,  as  that  chair 
bore  my  name  and  was  the  only  recognition  of  the  sort  of  my 
connection  with  the  Seminary,  I  trusted  that  circumstance,  as 
well  as  others,  would  be  entitled  to  consideration  in  placing  a 
professor  in  that  chair." 

After  some  further  statements  in  relation  to  Dr.  Lord,  and 
a  more  detailed  account  of  the  conversation  held  with  Mr. 
Williams  at  St.  Louis,  in  which  the  latter  claimed  that  the 
'*  new  friends  of  the  Seminary  should  have  the  chair  of  Theol- 
ogy and  a  good  working  majority  in  the  Board  of  Directors," 
Mr.  McCormick  goes  on  to  say: 

"  I  then  remarked  to  him  that,  if  they  persisted  in  carrying 
out  their  plans  as  proposed,  and  in  thus  setting  us  aside  in  dis- 
regard of  our  wishes  and  preventing  us  from  continuing  our 
work,  especially  when  we  had  always  been  desirous  that  they 
should  co-operate  with  us  in  support  of  the  Seminary,  they 
would  of  course  not  expect  me  to  pay  over  the  remaining 
fourth  installment  of  the  endowment,  then  unpaid.  To  which 
he  replied  that  there  would  be  no  difficulty  upon  that  point, 
as  they  had  on  their  side  men  of  wealth  and  ample  means  by 
whose  contributions  they  proposed  to  endow  the  chair  of 
Theology  for  Dr.  MacMaster,  if  elected,  with  the  sum  of 
$50,000,  and  that  Dr.  MacMaster  would  not  accept  the  chair 
otherwise  than  with  the  understanding  that  it  would  be 
endowed  by  his  friends.  Mr.  Williams  said  he  would  com- 
municate my  suggestions  to  the  committee  on  seminaries,  but 
that  he  had  little  expectation  they  would  be  adopted  by  the 
Assembly.  And  he  afterwards  informed  me  that  no  change 
could  be  made,  and  that  Dr.  MacMaster  would  receive  the 
nomination. 

"  It  appears,  however,  that  certain  of  the  faculty  and  direc- 
tory of  the  Seminary  have  been  in  ignorance  of  the  foregoing 
facts,  or  are  disposed  to  look  no  higher  than  the  law  in  the  case, 
expressing  the  opinion  that  I  am  bound  to  pay  this  installment. 
Inquiries  have  also  been  made  of  the  trustees  upon  this  point. 
But,  in  view  of  what  has  been  said,  I  now  submit  whether  this 
proscription  of  the  directors,  as  well  as  of  myself  and  friends. 


I867-I868.     DR.  LORD  AND  THE  CHAIR  OF  THEOLOGY.  243 

wholly  upon  political  grounds,  does  not  justly  work  a  forfeiture 
of  the  whole  endowment  fund,  instead  of  my  being  subjected 
to  a  call  from  you,  under  the  circumstances,  for  further  funds? 

"  When  my  endowment  was  accepted  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly, it  is  well  known  that  a  large  majority  of  the  Old  School 
Presbyterian  Church  were  opposed,  as  I  have  before  said,  to  the 
agitation  in  the  Church  of  political  questions.  My  own  humble 
views  on  that  subject  were  known  to  agree  with  the  views  of 
those  opposed  to  such  agitation,  as  represented  by  Dr.  Rice. 
The  General  Assembly,  as  I  believe  is  universally  the  case  when 
not  inconsistent  with  duty,  in  accepting  such  donation  elected 
professors  and  directors  to  carry  forward  the  institution  agree- 
ing essentially  in  these  views.  At  that  time  Dr.  Lord  was 
understood  to  be  in  perfect  accord  with  them. 

"  I  have  always  accorded  to  others  the  same  liberty  of  opin- 
ion claimed  for  myself,  and  have  had  nothing  whatever  to  say 
in  the  selection  of  directors  or  agents  of  the  Seminary  at  any 
time,  not  even  knowing  the  men  ;  and  I  challenge  the  produc- 
tion of  testimony  to  show  proscription  in  any  case  while  the 
Seminary  was  in  the  hands  of  its  founders.  The  General 
Assembly  acted  then  upon  the  principle  that  justice  and  equity,., 
to  say  nothing  of  Christian  courtesy,  require  that  due  regard 
should  be  had  to  the  wishes  and  sentiments  of  members  of  the 
Church  who  have  placed  in  her  hands  the  means  of  founding 
and  sustaining  important  institutions  in  her  gift.  The  correct- 
ness of  this  principle  was  fully  recognized  by  Dr.  MacMaster 
at  the  time  of  his  election. 

''After  the  death  of  Dr.  MacMaster  and  the  failure  to  raise 
the  sum  anticipated  for  the  endowment  of  that  chair.  Dr.  Lord 
was  transferred  to  it  at  the  meeting  of  the  next  Assembly  at 
Cincinnati,  leaving  the  chair  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical 
History  unoccupied  during  the  past  year. 

"  Prior  to  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  at  Albany, 
while  residing  in  New^  York,  I  was  written  to  by  friends  in 
Chicago,  inquiring  whether,  in  the  event  of  their  being  able  at 
the  meeting  of  that  Assembly  to  elect  a  professor  to  the  chair 
acceptable  to  the  old  friends  of  the  Seminary  and  to  restore 
the  directors  displaced  to  their  former  positions  upon  the  Board 


244  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

and  to  procure  some  satisfactory  guarantee  against  similar 
unjust  interferences  in  the  future,  I  would  be  disposed  to  return 
to  my  original  position  in  connection  with  the  Seminary,  and 
of  course  to  pay  over  the  fourth  installment  of  the  endow- 
ment fund.  To  which  I  replied  that  if  a  satisfactory  arrange- 
ment of  that  sort  could  be  effected  I  would  not  only  willingly 
but  cheerfully  do  so ;  that  Dr.  Rice  was,  as  I  was  informed,  in 
the  enjoyment  of  better  health  than  for  some  time  previous, 
and  I  had  no  doubt  could  be  induced  to  accept  the  professor- 
ship of  Theology,  if  re-elected  to  it.  He  was  accordingly  nomi- 
nated for  the  vacant  chair  in  the  Assembly  at  Albany,  when 
Dr.  Thomas  was  nominated  in  opposition  to  him.  And  when 
it  was  thought  at  a  later  day  by  some  of  his  friends  that  he 
(Dr.  Rice)  would  not  be  elected,  they  consented  to  withdraw 
his  name  and  substitute  for  it  that  of  Dr.  Skinner,  a  man  of 
acknowledged  ability  and  learning.  But  the  Rev.  Dr.  Blackburn 
was  elected  in  opposition  to  him. 

"I  need  not  say  that  my  interest  in  the  success  of  so  great 
an  enterprise,  labored  for  with  so  much  interest  and  anxiety, 
remains  unabated.  And  if,  as  stated  to  me  by  Mr.  Truax,  the 
^Seminary  is  now  embarrassed  for  funds,  and  with  no  reasonable 
prospect  of  obtaining  them,  some  of  the  few  subscribers  to  the 
MacMaster  endowment  refusing  to  pay  because  of  the  failure 
to  raise  the  $50,000  proposed,  in  this  condition  of  things  I 
would  reaffirm  my  willingness  to  co-operate  in  the  support  of 
the  Seminary,  and  my  desire  to  assist  in  placing  it  on  a  solid 
financial  basis,  if  the  General  Assembly  will  provide  for  such  a 
corps  of  professors  as  the  original  one,  and  the  corresponding 
'working  majority'  of  directors  demanded  and  taken  from  us 
'  by  the  other  side,'  and  with  proper  assurances  of  no|i-ihter- 
ference  in  the  future.  In  this  case  I  should  be  disposed  not 
only  to  pay  the  $25,cxx),  but  to  add  besides  $5,000  to  the 
endowment  of  each  professorship,  considered  by  the  Board  also 
important. 

"Finally,  I  submit  whether,  this  issue  having  been  made  by 
the  new  friends  of  the  Seminary,  first  in  their  refusal  to  co-op- 
erate with  its  old  friends  and  founders,  and  second  in  their 
turning  them  out  and  taking  possession  themselves,  it  is  not 


1867-1868.     DR.  LORD  AND  THE  CHAIR  OF  THEOLOGY.  245 

just  that  they  meet  them  in  a  spirit  of  Christian  equality  and 
fairness,  and  either  accept  this  proposition  or  refund  (without 
interest)  the  $75,000  paid  by  me. 

Respectfully  yours, 

Cyrus  H.  McCormick." 

Mr.  McCormick  published  this  correspondence  in  the 
''Northwestern  Presbyterian"  of  November  28th,  1868,  in 
order  that  the  public  might  understand  the  facts  in  the  case 
touching  his  refusal  to  pay  the  last  installment  of  his  endow- 
ment. He  had  been  subjected  to  some  criticism  and  misrepre- 
sentation about  the  matter,  preferring,  as  he  said,  to  remain 
quiet  and  see  what  would  be  the  result  of  the  "  experiment 
undertaken  by  those  who  had  superior  numbers  and  proffered 
means  to  wrest  from  its  original  friends  the  direction  and  man- 
agement of  the  Seminary."  But  now  he  felt  that  further 
silence  would  be  improper,  and  that  it  became  a  duty  to  vindi- 
cate himself  by  this  public  letter. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  the  letter  made  a  sensation 
throughout  the  Church.  For  it  was  quite  apparent  that  a  new 
party,  created  largely  by  the  popular  excitements  growing  out 
of  the  war  times,  had  come  to  the  front,  both  in  church  and 
state,  which  felt  itself  called  upon  to  control  things  with  a 
strong  hand.  These  "new  friends  of  the  Seminar}^"  as  they 
were  called,  had  so  controlled  the  action  of  successive  general 
assemblies  as  to  secure  a  decisive  majority  in  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors ;  and,  not  content  with  a  working  majority  there,  they 
soon  began  the  process  of  changing  the  Board  of  Trustees  by 
displacing  three  of  its  oldest  and  most  efficient  members,  in 
order  to  make  room  for  three  new  men  of  their  own  way  of 
thinking.  This  Mr.  McCormick  understood  to  be  a  deliberate 
and  concerted  attempt  to  wrest  the  Seminary,  its  management 
and  its  funds,  from  the  control  of  those  who  had  endowed  it 
and  had  thus  far  sustained  it  through  many  difficulties.  Under 
these  circumstances  it  is  not  surprising  that  he,  the  largest 
donor  of  the  funds,  should  hesitate  and  even  refuse  to  hand 
over  any  more  money.  Mr.  McCormick  had  not  at  any  time 
heretofore  intended  to  withhold  the  payment  of  his  fourth  in- 
stallment.    Nor  did  he  now  intend,   as  his  letter  shows,    to 


246  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

withhold  payment,  provided  the  General  Assembly  would 
stand  by  the  original  basis  of  1859,  upon  which  his  endow- 
ment was  given.  But  he  was  not  willing  to  stand  by  quietly 
and  see  himself  and  his  friends  ostracized,  according  to  some 
new  standard  of  loyalty,  by  a  mere  partisan  majority,  who 
were  determined  to  rule,  but  had  comparatively  little  or  no 
endowment  money  to  give. 

The  publication  of  this  letter  of  Mr.  McCormick  called  out 
a  reply  from  Dr.  Lord,  defending  himself  against  certain  per- 
sonal accusations  made  in  4he  letter,  and  in  turn  severely 
denouncing  Mr.  McCormick's  position  in  relation  to  the  obliga- 
tions of  his  bond.  This  was  published  in  the  Cincinnati 
"Presbyter"  of  January  9th,  1869.  To  this  Mr.  McCormick 
published  a  rejoinder  in  the  *'  Northwestern  Presbyterian," 
which  was  followed  by  a  second  paper  from  Dr.  Lord,  and  that 
again  by  a  second  and  final  rejoinder  by  Mr.  McCormick. 
In  the  meantime  several  other  parties  joined  in  the  public 
discussion  of  the  points  at  issue.  Mr.  Jesse  L.  Williams,  Dr. 
N.  L.  Rice,  Dr.  Thomas  V.  Moore  of  Richmond,  Va.,  Dr.  D. 
X.  Junkin  and  others  took  part  in  the  controversy.  The  whole 
correspondence  was  gathered  together  by  Mr.  McCormick  and 
published  in  pamphlet  form  under  the  title  "  On  the  Pres- 
byterian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest." 


HON.  JESSE  L.   WILLIAMS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

AN    INVESTIGATION    ORDERED    BY    THE    GEN- 
ERAL  ASSEMBLY. 


1869. 


Conflicting  Parties  in  the  Board  of  Directors.  Action  of  the  Trustees  as 
to  Dr.  Lord.  That  Action  Reversed  by  the  Board  of  Directors.  Three 
Trustees  Displaced  and  Others  Elected.  Two  Reports  Sent  up  to  the 
Assembly  of  1869.  Statement  of  the  Committee  on  Seminaries.  Resolu- 
tions Proposed  to  the  Assembly.  No  Action  on  the  Resolutions.  Commit- 
tee, of  Investigation  Appointed.  Senator  Charles  D.  Drake's  Motion 
Adopted.  Five  Commissioners  to  Investigate.  Meeting  of  the  Commission. 
Their  Work  at  Chicago.  An  Amicable  Adjustment  Agreed  to.  The  Terms 
of  .that  Agreement.  Report  of  Commission  to  Adjourned  Meeting  of 
Assembly  in  November,  1869.  Its  Articles  of  Agreement  Discussed. 
Adopted  by  the  Assembly.  Satisfactory'  to  the  Church.  Opinions  of  the 
Press  on  the  Adjustment.     Mr.  McCormick's  Position  Sustamed. 


The  unfortunate  conflict  of  views  and  measures  growing  out 
of  Dr.  Lord's  transfer  to  the  chair  of  Theology  in  1867,  and 
culminating  in  his  controversy  with  Mr.  McCormick  in  1868, 
continued  to  disturb  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Seminary  until  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1869. 
By  that  time  it  had  created  two  parties  among  the  directors 
and  the  trustees,  and  had  become  a  struggle  for  the  mastery 
between  them ;  that  is,  between  the  new  friends  of  the  Semi- 
nary, who  had  a  working  majority  in  the  Board  of  Directors, 
but  had  given  little  of  the  funds,  and  the  old  friends,  who, 
though  in  a  minority,  were  not  willing,  while  supporting  the 
institution  with  their  money,  to  be  thrown  entirely  into  the 
background  in  its  management. 

After  the  transfer  of  Dr.  Lord  to  the  chair  of  Theology 
the  treasurer  and  trustees  of  the  Seminary  declined  to  pay  Dr. 

247 


248  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

Lord's  salary  out  of  the  income  of  that  chair  as  provided  by- 
Mr.  McCormick's  endowment.  This  action  was  disapproved 
and  overruled  by  the  Board  of  Directors  at  their  annual  meet- 
ing in  April,  1869.  They  pronounced  it  "  unwarranted  by  the 
terms  of  Mr.  McCormick's  bond,  and  injurious  to  the  best 
interests  of  the  Seminary."  They  instructed  the  Board  of 
Trustees  to  make  no  distinction  for  or  against  any  professor  in 
the  payment  of  money  to  such  professor  on  account  of  salary. 
And  in  order  to  secure  thereafter  the  carrying  out  of  this 
decision,  the  Board  of  Directors,  at  the  same  meeting,  under- 
took to  change  the  composition  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  by 
adopting  the  following  resolution,  introduced  by  Rev.  John 
Fleming: 

'*  Whereas,  By  an  act  of  the  legislature  of  Illinois  incor- 
porating the  Trustees  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest  (Section  2),  this  Board  has  power,  at  any  meeting 
held  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  to  change  one-third  of  the  whole 
number  of  said  trustees,  in  such  manner  as  to  this  Board  may 
seem  proper,  and  to  fill  all  vacancies  which  may  then  exist  in 
the  Board  of  Trustees ;  therefore 

**  Resolved,  That  Lincoln  Clark,  William  G.  Holmes  and  H. 
G.  SpafYord  be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  trustees,  in  the 
place  of  Horace  A.  Hurlbut,  Samuel  Howe  and  Henry  G. 
Miller."* 

This  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  led  eventually  to  the 
resignation  of  all  the  old  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
As  a  consequence  of  these  measures  the  two  opposing  parties 
in  the  directory  had  now  become  so  clearly  marked  that  two 
different  annual  reports,  instead  of  one,  were  sent  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  1869.  Manifestly  the  time  had  come  for  the 
Assembly  to  take  into  its  own  hands  the  adjustment  of  these 
conflicting  views. 

When  the  matter  came  before  the  Assembly  that  body 
seemed  doubtful  at  first  as  to  what  it  would  be  best  to  do. 
After  reciting  the  matters  presented  in  the  two  conflicting  re- 
ports, the  Assembly's  committee  on  theological  seminaries 
said:  "  We  do  not  feel  bound  to  go  into  a  full  examination  of 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  344, 348. 


1869.  INVESTIGATION  BY  ASSEMBLY  COMMITTEE.  249 

them,  which  would  be  long  and  tedious  and  not  likely  to  result 
in  permanent  benefit  to  the  Seminary."  In  concluding  their 
report,  however,  the  committee  said  :  "  We  feel  constrained  to 
call  the  attention  of  the  Assembly  to  two  facts  complained  of 
by  the  minority,  to  which  no  reference  is  made  in  the  report  of 
the  directors  of  the  Seminary  :  ' 

"  1st.  It  is  well  known  to  the  Church  at  large  that  the  most 
liberal  benefactor  of  the  Seminary  has  declined  to  pay  the  last 
installment  of  his  proposed  and  promised  endowment  of  four 
professorships.  It  is  certainly  strange  that  the  directors  have 
given  the  Assembly  no  information  upon  this  important  sub- 
ject. It  seems  to  us  that  they  ought  to  have  taken  measures 
to  settle  this  difficulty,  and,  if  they  have  done  so,  to  have 
informed  the  Assembly  of  the  fact.  This  is  a  matter  in  which 
the  honor  of  the  Assembly  is  involved.  There  are  pledges 
unredeemed,  which  it  is  the  duty  of  this  Assembly  to  secure 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Seminary  under  its  care.  Moreover, 
it  has  gone  out  to  the  world  that  in  the  management  of  the 
Seminary  too  little  deference  has  been  paid  to  the  wishes  of  its 
most  liberal  benefactor.  Your  committee  is  of  the  opinion 
that,  whatever  may  be  the  legal  rights  of  the  case,  there  is 
a  high  moral  and  religious  obligation  resting  on  a  beneficiary 
to  consult  the  wishes  of  the  benefactor ;  and  this  Assembly 
should  insist  t^at  deference  be  paid  in  the  present  instance  to 
the  known  and  declared  views  of  the  gentleman  who  has  so 
largely  endowed  this  institution,  unless  those  views  are  mani- 
festly opposed  to  the  best  interests  of  the  institution  and 
the  expressed  direction  and  appointments  of  the  General 
Assembly. 

*'  2d.  It  appears  that  the  directors  have  displaced  three  of 
the  trustees  who  from  the  beginning  have  acted  as  guardians 
of  the  Seminary  fund,  and  that  this  removal  of  three  of  their 
number  has  led,  or  will  inevitably  lead,  to  the  resignation  of 
other  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  The  trustees  whose 
services  to  the  Seminary  will  thus  be  lost  are  gentlemen 
of  high  social  and  financial  position,  who  have  themselves  con- 
tributed eight-ninths  of  the  permanent  fund  of  the  institution, 
besides  liberal  and  frequent  donations  to  the  contingent  fund. 


250  HISTORY  OF  McCORiMICK  SEMINARY. 

Of  these  facts,  so  important  in  the  history  of  the  Seminary, 
the  report  of  the  directors  makes  no  mention.  And  your 
committee  is  of  the  opinion,  if  the  facts  are  as  reported  by  the 
minority,  that  the  interests  of  the  Seminary  require  the  imme- 
diate restoration  of  the  trustees  displaced  to  their  former 
positions  in  the  Board  of*  Trustees,  which  they  have  so  long 
and  faithfully  filled  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  Assembly. 

"  The  committee  recommends  the  following  resolutions : 

"Resolved,  1st.  That  the  Assembly  requests  the  three 
trustees  recently  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Directors  to 
resign,  and  that,  in  that  case,  the  directors  are  ordered  to  rein- 
state the  three  trustees  who  have  been  recently  removed,  and 
that  it  does  advise  the  trustees  who  have  tendered  their  resig- 
nations to  withdraw  the  same. 

"  Resolved,  2d.  That  the  Board  of  Trustees  is  earnestly 
exhorted  to  co-operate  with  the  directors  in  sustaining  the 
institution  and  in  seeking  the  things  which  make  for  peace."* 

These  resolutions  of  the  committee,  and  others  offered  at 
the  same  time,  were  not  adopted.  But,  wdiile  they  were  under 
discussion,  Elder  Charles  D. .  Drake  of  Missouri  rose  and 
presented  a  paper,  which,  after  being  amended,  was  adopted 
by  the  Assembly,  and  is  as  follows : 

'*  Inasmuch  as  it  is  apparent  that  matters  of  grave  moment, 
pertaining  to  the  interests  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Chicago,  are  involved,  which  cannot  now  be  considered,  there- 
fore, without  deciding  anything  pertaining  to  the  subject,  and 
with  due  deference  to  the  reports  presented  by  the  majority 
and  minority,  be  it 

''  Resolved,  That  so  much  of  the  report  of  the  majority  as 
refers  to  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  and  the 
report  of  the  minority  on  the  same  subject,  be  referred  to 
a  select  committee  of  five,  who  shall  consider  all  the  matters 
therein  set  forth  and  investigate  the  same  and  all  other  mat- 
ters of  controversy  in  regard  to  said  Seminary  and  report 
upon  the  same  at  the  adjourned  session  of  this  General 
Assembly  in  November,  and  that  in  the  meantime  the 
directors  whose  terms  are  now  expiring  be  continued  in  office 

♦  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1869,  p.  297. 


1869.  INVESTIGATION  BY  ASSEMBLY  COMMITTEE.  251 

until  the  end  of  that  adjourned  session ;  and  that  said  com- 
mittee have  authority  to  send  for  persons  and  papers  and 
to  examine  witnesses  and  to  fill  any  vacancies  that  may  occur 
in  their  body." 

The  moderator  appointed  as  the  committee  Elder  Charles 
D.  Drake,  George  W.  Musgrave,  D.D.,  E.  R.  Craven,  D.D.,  J. 
Trumbull  Backus,  D.D.,  and  John  D.  McCord,  Esq.""'" 

The  Assembly  had  already  decided  to  hold  an  adjourned 
meeting  on  November  loth,  1869,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  in  concert 
with  a  similar  meeting  of  the  New  School  General  Assembly 
to  be  held  at  the  same  time  and  place,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
summating the  union  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  To  this  adjourned  session  the  select  committee  was 
required  to  make  report  after  investigating  matters  at  Chicago. 
The  chairman  of  this  committee,  Hon.  Charles  D.  Drake,  gave 
notice  through  the  several  newspapers  of  the  Church,  a  month 
in  advance,  that  the  committee  would  meet  in  Chicago  on  the 
25th  of  October,  1869,  to  investigate  all  the  matters  referred  to 
them  by  the  General  Assembly  touching  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  when  and  where  all  parties  con- 
cerned would  be  heard. 

In  pursuance  of  this  notice,  the  committee  convened  at  the 
time  and  place  designated,  all  its  members  being  present,  and 
proceeded  with  the  inyestigation.  The  majority  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  was  represented  by  three  of  its  number,  H.  G. 
Spafford,  John  Woodbridge  and  Rev.  R.  G.  Thompson  ;  and 
the  minority  by  Rev.  David  C.  Marquis,  D.  X.  Junkin,  D.D., 
and  Henry  G.  Miller.  Nine  days  were  occupied  in  the  investi- 
gation, and  all  parties  concerned  were  fully  heard.  In  opening 
the  case  on  the  part  of  the  minority  Mr.  Marquis  presented  a 
paper  containing  its  allegations  against  the  majority  and 
against  Dr.  Lord,  and  the  evidence  on  both  sides  mainly 
referred  to  those  allegations. 

Having  heard  all  the  evidence  in  the  case,  the  committee 
determined  it  to  be  its  duty  to  make  an  effort  to  secure  an 
amicable  adjustment  of  the  difficulty.  The  committee 
appointed  two  of  its  members  (Drs.    Musgrave    and  Backus) 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1869,  p.  94S. 


252  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

to  undertake  this  delicate  duty.  In  making  their  report  to 
the  General  Assembly  at  Pittsburgh,  the  committee  say:  '*  This 
effort  proved  successful  by  the  great  mercy  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  following  are  the  terms  of  this  adjustment  accepted  by  all 
the  parties,  the  original  copy  of  which,  signed  by  a  representa- 
tive of  each  party  in  the  presence  and  with  the  concurrence  of 
all,  is  herewith  submitted  to  the  Assembly : 

'  The  parties  to  the  controversy  in  regard  to  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  have  agreed  to  this  amicable 
adjustment,  viz.  :  ist.  That  'bygones  shall  be  bygones,'  no 
further  controversy  respecting  past  issues  to  be  indulged  in, 
and  all  shall  cordially  unite  in  efforts  to  promote  the  prosperity 
of  the  institution  in  the  field  of  usefulness  now  about  to  widen 
so  greatly  before  it. 

'  2nd.  That  on  the  one  hand  Dr.  Lord  shall  retain  the  chair 
of  Theology  to  which  he  has  been  assigned  by  the  General 
Assembly ;  and  that  on  the  other  hand  the  General  Assembly 
will  order  the  release  of  Mr.  McCormick  from  the  fourth 
installment  of  his  bond,  and  that  the  installments  of  the 
endowment  already  paid  shall  be  regarded  as  a  fulfillment  of 
his  entire  obligations. 

'  3rd.  That  the  three  trustees  last  elected  shall  resign,  and 
their  places  shall  be  supplied  by  others  not  unacceptable  to 
either  party. 

'4th.  That  hereafter  all  the  friends  and  patrons  of  the  Sem- 
inary shall  have  a  proper  share  in  the  management  of  the 
institution,  and  that,  as  far  as  practicable,  all  the  synods 
particularly  concerned  shall  be  duly  represented,  it  being 
understood  that  those  friends  of  the  Seminary  who  have  not 
yet  contributed  toward  its  endowment  shall  make  a  prompt 
and  earnest  effort  to  raise  for  it  the  sum  of  at  least  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  ($25,000). 

'  Signed,  on  behalf  of  the  parties  we  respectively  represent, 
on  this  third  day  of  November,  1869. 

D.  C.  Marquis, 
H.  G.  Spafford.' 

"  In  presenting  this  gratifying  result  to  the  Assembly,  with 
devout  acknowledgments  to  the  divine  grace  which  has  given 


1869.  INVESTIGATION  BY  ASSEMBLY  COMMITTEE.  2S3 

it  to  us,  the  committee  deems  it  incumbent  on  its  members  to 
accompany  it  with  the  following  explanations  and  suggestions. 

''  Upon  considering  the  reports  referred  to  it  the  committee 
perceived  that  the  matters  of  controversy  in  regard  to  the 
Seminary  were  largely,  if  not  wholly,  connected  with  the 
donation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  tendered  by  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick,  Esq.,  of  Chicago,  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
1859,  three-fourths  of  which  sum  Mr.  McCormick  has  paid, 
but  the  remainder  of  which  he  declined  to  pay  for  reasons 
assigned  by  him  as  sufficient,  in  his  judgment,  to  justify  his  so 
doing.  Mr.  McCormick  being  thus  prominently  identified 
with  the  controversies  in  question,  the  committee  deemed  it 
proper  in  the  outset  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  lay  before 
it  a  statement  of  his  views  of  the  case.  He  consequently  laid 
before  the  committee  a  pamphlet,  which  he  had  caused  to  be 
printed  and  published  some  months  ago,  containing  his  state- 
ment of  the  Seminary  difficulties  so  far  as  he  then  deemed  it 
desirable  to  make  any,  reserving  the  privilege  of  making 
further  statement,  which  was  assented  to  by  the  committee. 
A  copy  of  that  pamphlet  is  among  the  documents  accompany- 
ing this  report. 

*'An  examination  of  Mr.  McCormick's  pamphlet,  and  of  the 
paper  of  the  minority  (presented  by  Dr.  Marquis),  will  at  once 
disclose  how  large  a  portion  of  the  controversy  in  connection 
with  the  Seminary  consists  of  charges  affecting  Dr.  Lord.  As 
he  stands  in  a  peculiar  relation  to  the  General  Assembly  and 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  being  their  appointed  teacher  of 
Theology  in  this  Seminary,  and  as  therefore  the  whole  Church 
is  directly  concerned  in  his  character  and  standing,  and  as  up 
to  the  time  when  these  charges  transpired  he  was  believed  to 
be  without  reproach  as  a  minister,  as  a  man,  as  a  professor, 
the  committee  deems  it  incumbent  on  it  to  say  in  explanation 
of  the  adjustment  relative  to  this  point  that  Dr.  Lord's  charac- 
ter has  not  been  essentially  affected  by  any  testimony  adduced 
before  it.  On  the  contrary,  it  became  evident  that  he  has  so  far 
the  confidence  and  affectionate  regard  of  the  larger  part  of  the 
friends  of  the  Seminary  in  the  Northwest  as  to  render  it  proper 
to  act  in  respect  to  him  as  suggested  by  the  adjustment. 


254  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

"  While,  in  common  with  a  large  portion  of  the  Church,  we 
cannot  but  regret  the  unhappy  asperities  which  have  character- 
ized this  controversy,  we  believe  there  will  be  a  general  and 
devout  thankfulness  at  the  announcement  that  '  bygones  are  to 
be  bygones,'  and  that  no  further  controversy  respecting  past 
issues  is  to  be  indulged  in  and  that  all  are  to  unite  cordially 
in  efforts  to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  institution.  Many 
of  the  evils  regretted  have  doubtless  been  owing  to  misunder- 
standing aggravated  by  times  of  fearful  excitement,  and  some 
of  them  (we  fear)  must  be  charged  to  that  '  bitterness  and 
wrath  and  anger  and  clamor  and  evil  speaking'  which  the 
apostle  exhorts  against,  and  which  our  brethren  have  resolved 
to  put  away,  with  the  Christian  purpose  (we  hope  and  believe) 
of  being  '  kind  one  to  another,  tender-hearted,  forgiving  one 
another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  hath  forgiven  us.' 

''  In  reference  to  the  second  article  of  the  adjustment,  in  its 
relation  to  Mr.  McCormick's  endowment,  the  committee  recalls 
to  mind  that  when,  in  1859,  ^^^  made  his  munificent  offer  to  the 
Church  it  is  historically  true  that  he  and  the  great  majority  of 
that  Assembly  were  agreed  as  to  the  impropriety  of  agitating 
the  slavery  question  in  the  judicatories  of  the  Church  ;  and  that 
Dr.  Rice's  then  election  to  the  chair  of  Theology  (according 
to  the  known  wishes  of  Mr.  McCormick)  did  seem  to  authorize 
him  to  expect  as  a  result  of  his  endowment  that  those  views 
would  prevail  in  the  teachings  of  the  Seminary.  Indeed  we 
are  justified  in  believing  that,  had  it  been  indicated  that  the 
opposite  views  would  prevail  in  those  teachings,  Mr.  McCor- 
mick would  probably  not  have  consented  to  the  endowment. 
Upon  these  hypotheses  the  committee  concedes  that  there  was 
in  the  acceptance  of  Mr.  McCormick's  offer  by  the  General 
Assembly  a  tacit  understanding  on  that  subject  to  that  effect, 
which  in  Christian  honor  should  be  as  binding  on  both  parties 
as  if  expressed  in  formal  terms. 

''  Had  the  condition  of  things  continued  in  the  Church  and 
the  country  which  existed  when  Mr.  McCormick  made  and  the 
Assembly  accepted  his  offer,  he  might  justly  complain  of 
breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  Church,  if  through  the  sub- 
sequent election  of  professors  in  the  Seminary  it  departed  from 


1869.  INVESTIGATION  BY  ASSEMBLY  COMMITTEE.  255 

the  understanding  which  both  he  and  the  Assembly  had  when 
the  corps  of  professors  was  elected  in  1859,  causing  thereby 
the  prevalence  in  the  Seminary  of  opposite  views  to  those 
which  it  was  then  the  understanding  of  both  parties  should 
prevail  therein.  Had  that  condition  of  things  so  continued, 
the  committee  are  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  there 
would  have  been  up  to  this  time  probably  no  change  in  the 
attitude  of  the  General  Assembly  on  this  subject,  and  there- 
fore no  occasion  for  complaint  on  Mr.  McCormick's  part.  But 
since  1859  ^  change  has  come  over  the  Church  and  the  country 
in  these  respects,  a  great  and  wonderful  change,  such  as  no 
man  in  the  North,  and  perhaps  few  in  the  South,  had  any  pre- 
monition of  then,  and 'which  hardly  less  in  the  Church  than  in 
the  state  has  revolutionized  institutions  and  opinions.  It  is 
necessary  to  inquire  what  effect  that  change  has  had  upon  the 
relations  of  Mr.  McCormick  and  the  General  Assembly  to  each 
other  in  connection  with  the  Seminary. 

"  So  far  as  the  legal  obligation  of  his  bond  is  concerned,  the 
committee,  with  the  light  before  it,  sees  nothing  in  any  occur- 
rences since  the  execution  of  the  bond  which  can  operate  as  a 
discharge  from  its  binding  force  in  the  eye  of  the  law.  The 
offer  of  the  endowment  was  made  upon  certain  conditions, 
which  the  bond  declares  to  have  been  complied  with  by  the 
General  Assembly,  and  it  is  not  in  Mr.  McCormick's  power  to 
invalidate  the  bond  in  law  because'of  any  supposed  change  in 
the  attitude  of  the  Assembly  in  reference  to  matters  outside  of 
the  bond  itself. 

"  But  we  do  not  feel  ourselves,  as  Christian  men,  at  liberty 
to  look  only  at  the  legal  aspects  of  the  case.  There  are  other 
views  which  we,  as  Christians,  cannot  afford  to  disregard. 
Come  what  may,  the  fair  fame  of  our  beloved  Church  must  be 
without  a  breath  of  tarnish,  real  or  supposed,  and  we  must  be 
right  in  strict  conscience  as  well  as  in  strict  law.  We  cannot 
shut  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that  the  attitude  of  the  Church  now 
is  not  what  it  was  in  1859  on  the  subjects  referred  to.  We 
must  recognize  in  the  events  of  the  past  nine  years  a  divine 
providence  which  has  materially  modified  the  position  and 
duties  of  the  Church  upon  these  questions,  and  it  is  a  pleasure 


256  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

to  be  able  to  say  that  Mr.  McCormick  proposes  to  recognize 
and  acquiesce  in  this  changed  aspect  of  affairs. 

''  That  Mr.  McCormick  should  have  desired  and,  in  virtue 
of  his  endowment,  felt  himself  entitled  to  much  influence  in  the 
affairs  of  the  institution  we  suppose  to  be  natural,  if  not  com- 
mendable. That  it  was  equally  natural  for  the  directors  and 
trustees  of  the  Seminary,  and  even  for  the  General  Assembly, 
to  accord  to  him  a  greater  measure  of  influence  than  to 
one  not  standing  in  his  relation  to  it,  we  do  not  hesitate 
to  admit.  Nay,  we  go  further  and  say  that  upon  every 
ground  should  greater  measure  of  influence  have  been  yielded 
to  him,  but  only  up  to  a  certain  point.  It  never  could 
be  allowed  to  assume  the  character  of  control.  The  Church 
never  can,  never  will  abdicate  its  rights  to  determine  all 
questions  and  meet  all  responsibilities  involved  in  its  trust 
from  the  Lord. 

"  We  understand  Mr.  McCormick,  in  his  interview  with  our 
sub-committee,  so  to  explain  the  claims  made  as  to  this  in  his 
pamphlet  (which  by  some  have  been  differently  interpreted) 
that  he  asks  of  the  Church  no  influence  in  Seminary  affairs  at 
variance  with  the  duties  and  rights  of  the  Assembly.  A  cour- 
teous consideration  for  his  preferences  all  would  cheerfully 
yield  as  his  due,  and  we  fully  accord  that  to  him.  So  far  as 
we  could  ascertain  from  the  testimony  (aside  from  the  claims 
in  his  pamphlet  alluded  to,  which  he  explained  to  be  only  a 
desire  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  tacit  understanding  of  1859), 
he  has  neither  endeavored  nor  desired  more  than  such  courte- 
ous consideration. 

"And  inasmuch  as  the  Assembly  of  1867  was  induced 
to  transfer  Dr.  Lord  to  the  chair  of  Theology  against  the 
known  wishes  of  Mr.  McCormick,  while  it  cannot  be  con- 
ceded that  he  may  prevent  what  the  Assembly  resolves  to  be 
proper  and  expedient,  we  do  nevertheless  concede  that  it 
will  be  honorable  and  right  for  the  Assembly  to  accept 
and  order  the  modification  of  Mr.  McCormick's  obliga- 
tions suggested  by  the  adjustment,  recognizing  in  justice 
and  gratitude  that  the  endowment  even  then  will  have  been 
munificent,  and  that    the    other   property  of   the  institution, 


1869.  INVESTIGATION  BY  ASSEMBLY  COMMITTEE.  257 

prospectively  so  large,  is  greatly,  if  not  entirely,  the  effect 
of  his   liberality. 

''  In  regard  to  the  third  article  of  the  adjustment,  the  com- 
mittee begs  leave  to  say  that  it  is  only  right  to  have  it  under- 
stood of  the  trustees  displaced  by  the  late  changes  in  that 
Board  that  nothing  appeared  in  evidence  at  all  to  inculpate 
their  fidelity  or  their  confidence  ;  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  was 
insisted  on  by  all  parties  before  the  committee  that  no  gentle- 
men in  Chicago  hold  a  higher  position  for  integrity  and  excel- 
lence of  Christian  character.  We  also  testify  that  it  is  highly 
honorable  and  worthy  of  the  respect  of  the  Church  that,  for 
the  sake  of  this  amicable  adjustment,  the  three  last  elected 
trustees  have  consented  to  resign. 

''  In  explanation  of  the  fourth  and  last  article  of  the  adjust- 
ment, we  ask  the  liberty  to  say,  in  the  first  place,  that  it  is 
greatly  to  be  desired  that  the  General  Assembly  should  so 
carefully  perform  its  duty  in  the  election  of  directors  of  all 
our  seminaries  as  to  secure  a  proper  interest  and  co-operation 
from  all  who  ought  to  be  concerned  in  them,  and  that  in  the 
selection  of  ofificers  of  its  institutions  it  should  avoid  any  sus- 
picion, such  as  some  have  entertained  in  connection  with  the 
affairs  of  this  Seminary,  of  being  influenced  by  political  prefer- 
ences, or  by  any  tests  other  than  those  recognized  in  the  con- 
stitution of  the  Church ;  and,  in  f he  second  place,  to  say  that 
inasmuch  as  the  course  of  events  has  brought  into  the  circle 
of  the  friends  of  this  Seminary  some  who,  under  its  original 
arrangements,  chose  to  be  left  out,  it  is  certainly  the  privilege 
and  duty  of  these  '  new  friends '  to  recognize  their  responsi- 
bility, and  either  to  discharge  their  part  honorably  in  regard 
to  its  pecuniary  w^ants,  or  to  relinquish  to  those  who  will  the 
direction  of  its  affairs,  subject  to  the  rules  and  settled  control 
of  the  General  Assembly.  The  Assembly  will  be  gratified  to 
know  that,  at  the  close  of  our  negotiations,  the  adjustment 
appeared  to  be  cordially  concurred  in  by  all  present.  The 
oldest  member  of  the  committee,  after  a  few  words  of  fra- 
ternal counsel  to  the  parties  in  the  buried  controversy,  led  us 
all  in  reverent  thanksgiving  and  prayer  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
and  in  a  fervent  outburst  we  sang  the  doxology,  and  lovingly. 


258  HISTORY  OF  iMcCORiMlCK  SEMINARY. 

hopefully  concluded  our  work.     All  which  is  respectfully  sub- 
mitted. 

C.  D.  Drake,  chairman,  J.  Trumbull  Backus, 

G.  W.  Musgrave,  E.  R.  Craven, 

John  D.  McCord." 

Mr.  Drake  also  moved  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
adopted  by  the  Assembly  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  be  directed  to  cause  to  be  executed 
in  due  form  of  law  a  release  to  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  of  the 
fourth  installment  of  $25,000  of  his  offered  endowment  of 
$100,000  to   said   Seminary."* 

This  able  report  of  the  Assembly's  commission,  the  result 
of  nine  days  faithful  investigation,  covered  the  whole  ground 
of  the  controversy  and  was  felt  to  be  a  fair  and  honorable 
adjustment  of  the  difBculties.  It  was  clear  in  its  statement 
of  the  points  at  issue  in. the  management  of  the  Seminary, 
just  to  all  parties,  wise  and  equitable  in  its  conclusions.  It 
did  not,  of  course,  meet  the  views  of  some  zealous  partisans, 
but  it  had  the  effect  of  satisfying  the  Church  at  large  and  of 
allaying  the  excitements  existing  in  Chicago.  It  established 
at  once,  and  for  all  time  to  come,  the  true  and  equitable  policy 
of  administering  the  affairs  of  this  Seminary.  It  recognized 
clearly  the  great  fundamental  principle  on  which  all  our  theo- 
logical seminaries  and  all  our  Christian  colleges,  churches  and 
other  institutions  had  been  built  up  and  sustained  from  the 
beginning,  namely,  of  leaving  them  to  the  management  of  the 
individuals  and  the  local  committees  that  had  been  chiefly 
instrumental  in  founding,  endowing  and  maintaining  them. 
The  principle  is  a  Protestant  principle,  which  is  right,  just  and 
safe.  Nor  can  the  General  Assembly,  or  the  church  which  it 
represents,  have  any  higher  or  better  guaranty  that  its  institu- 
tions will  be  well  conducted  than  this  one  of  leaving  them  to 
the  control  of  the  liberal  men  and  women  who  have  contrib- 
uted most  to  endow  and  sustain  them,  subject  always,  of 
course,  to  its  own  supervising  counsel  and  authority. 

Dr.  Erskine,  who  was  at  the  time  the  editor  of  the  "  North- 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1869,  pp.  1143-1 147. 


1869.  INVESTIGATION  BY  ASSEMBLY  COMMITTEE.  259 

western  Presbyterian,"  reviewed  the  whole  case  in  his  columns 
and  showed  clearly  that  this  was  the  only  true  and  equitable 
principle  on  which  such  institutions  of  the  Church  could  be 
successfully  conducted.  In  an  editorial  of  May  8,  1869,  before 
the  case  was  decided,  he  said : 

''  What  principle  then  is  there,  by  the  adoption  and  enforce- 
ment of  which,  on  the  part  of  the  Assembly,  the  management 
and  control  of  the  seminaries  may  be  so  arranged  as  to  secure 
these  results  ?  We  answer,  these  results  may  be  secured  by  the 
Assembly  leaving  the  management  and  control  of  these  insti- 
tutions in  the  hands  of  their  friends.  Their  friends  are  their 
supporters.  The  limitations  to  this  control  are  to  be  found  in 
the  constitution  of  the  Seminary  and  the  government  of  the 
Church.  So  long  as  the  seminaries  are  conducted  in  accordance 
with  their  constitutions,  their  management  can  safely  be  left  in 
the  hands  of  their  friends  or  supporters.  This  principle  is 
recognized  and  acted  on  by  presbyteries  in  the  government  of 
individual  churches,  and  has  been  the  principle  upon  which  the 
General  Assembly  has  always  acted  in  the  management  of  the 
other  seminaries." 

Dr.  Samuel  I.  Prime,  editor  of  the  "  New, York  Observer," 
in  his  issue  of  December  2,  1869,  after  the  report  of  the  Chicago 
commission  had  been  accepted  and  approved  by  the  General 
Assembly,  presented  the  following  summary  of  the  case  and 
his  editorial  judgment  as  to  its  importance  and  equitable  decis- 
ions: 

"The  principles  here  laid  down  and  endorsed  are,  ist.,  that 
Mr.  McCormick's  legal  obligation  to  pay  the  subscription  is  not 
diminished  by  the  change  in  public  sentiment  after  the  sub- 
scription was  made ;  2d.,  that  the  fair  fame  of  the  Church,  and 
strict  conscience  under  all  circumstances,  make  it  honorable 
and  right  for  the  Assernbly  to  release  Mr.  McCormick  from  his 
unpaid  quarter  of  the  original  subscription,  and  that  the 
Assembly  '  in  justice  and  gratitude  recognize  his  munificence,' 
inasmuch  as  '  the  other  property  of  the  Seminary  prospectively 
large  is  greatly,  if  not  entirely,  the  effect  of  his  liberality.' 

"  This  decision  of  the  Assembly,  sustaining  as  it  does  the 
position  taken  by  Mr.  McCormick,  releasing  him  from  the  bond. 


26o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

which  he  refused  to  regard  as  binding,  establishes  a  vastly 
momentous  principle.  Our  civil  courts  in  defining  and  regu- 
lating trusts  uniformly  act  upon  the  general  principles  of  this 
ecclesiastical  decision.  A  trust,  like  a  promise,  must  in  law 
and  morals  be  interpreted  as  the  maker  understood  it  and  sup- 
posed the  one  to  whom  it  was  made  understood  it.  The  law 
might  insist  on  the  letter  of  the  bond,  but  equity  will  define 
the  right,  the  conscience,  the  honor  of  the  matter,  and  equity 
is  higher  than  letters  of  law. 

''  Those  who  make  large  donations  to  seminaries,  colleges, 
churches  and  benevolent  institutions,  and  those  who  receive 
and  administer  such  gifts,  will  therefore  see,  in  the  light  of  this 
Chicago-McCormick  case,  that  a  departure  from  the  intention 
of  the  donor  may  put  in  peril  the  tenure  to  property  promised, 
and  of  course  to  property  given  already." 


REV.   ROBERT  W.   PAITERSON,   D.  D. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT. 

I 870-1 872. 


Re-united  Church  of  1870.  Effect  on  the  Seminary.  Work  of  Instruction 
in  the  Seminary.  Letter  of  Dr.  Lord  to  the  Directors.  Proposed  Resignation. 
Accepted  by  the  Board  and  the  Assembly.  Testimonial  to  his  Usefulness 
Success  as  a  Teacher.  Founder  of  Fullerton  Avenue  Church.  His  Influence 
on  the  Students,  Sketch  of  his  Life.  His  Pastoral  Charges.  Widely 
Extended  Ministry.  His  Educational  W^ork.  Pioneer  Labors  at  the  West. 
Busy  and  Useful  Life.  Declining  Years.  His  Peaceful  Death.  Two 
Reports  to  the  General  Assembly.  Action  of  the  Assembly.  The  Vacant 
Chair  of  Theology.  Filled  by  the  Other  Professors.  Dr.  Prentiss  Elected 
Professor.  New  Directors  Chosen.  Dr.  Prentiss  Declines.  Mr.  McCormick's 
Confidence  Restored.  His  New  Offer  of  Endowment.  Effect  of  the  Chicago 
Fire.  Dr.  Patton  Chosen  Professor.  Endorsed  by  the  Assembly.  His 
Inauguration.  Alterations  in  the  Constitution  of  the  Seminary.  A  New 
Chair  Created.  Dr.  Patterson  Elected  Professor.  His  Inauguration.  Death 
of  Samuel  Howe.  Tribute  to  his  Memory.  A  Model  Elder.  A  Sterling 
Character.    A  Noble  Life. 

The  wise  and  amicable  adjustment  of  the  Seminary  difficul- 
ties proposed  by  the  committee  of  investigation  and  ratified 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  1869  did  not  at  once  bear  all  the 
good  fruits  which  the  authors  of  the  measure  expected  to  see. 
There  was  still  some  unpleasant  friction  in  the  administration 
of  the  two  Seminary  Boards.  The  opposing  parties  did  not 
fully  agree  in  their  interpretation  of  the  terms  and  conditions 
of  the  adjustment.  Hence  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1870 
each  accused  the  other  of  having  violated  the  compact.  But 
under  the  influence  of  wider  and  more  important  questions 
which  soon  came  up  for  adjustment  in  the  re-united  Church  of 
1870  these  old  partisan  issues  gradually  wore  themselves  out 
and  in  a  few  years  disappeared.     The  grand  re-union  of  the 

261 


262  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Old  and  New  School  branches  of  the  Church  which  had  been 
separated  since  1838  was  not  without  its  good  effect  on  the 
Seminary  in  bringing  men  and  opinions  much  nearer  together 
than  they  had  been.  It  was  no  doubt  well  for  the  institution 
that  it  should,  at  this  particular  juncture  in  its  affairs,  pass 
under  the  supervision  of  the  whole  re-united  Church  and 
thereby  into  its  greatly  extended  sphere  of  usefulness. 

Notwithstanding  the  unpleasant  outward  conflicts  amongst 
its  friends  about  the  management  of  the  Seminary,  it  is  a  mat- 
ter of  pleasant  remembrance  and  of  gratitude  to  God  that  the 
work  of  instruction  was  not  interrupted,  but  went  steadily  on 
from  year  to  year  under  the  supervision  of  the  four  professors. 
The  average  attendance  during  these  years  of  divided  counsels 
was  good,  the  number  of  students  rising  to  thirty-five,  thirty- 
six  and  thirty-eight.  Every  year  sent  out,  as  usual,  its 
graduating  class.  The  professors  had  their  discouragements, 
but  they  felt  that  they  did  not  labor  in  vain,  for  the  work 
evidently  had  the  seal  of  the  divine  blessing  on  it.  They  felt 
that  although  the  Seminary  was  not  doing  all  it  might  have 
done  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  yet  it  was  doing  a 
good  work  both  for  the  Church  and  the  world,  and  they 
believed  that  in  due  time,  if  they  fainted  not,  the  day  of 
ampler  harvests  would  come. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April, 
1870,  the  following  communication  was  received  from  Dr. 
Lord,  informing  the  Board  of  his  purpose  to  resign  his  profes- 
sorship at  the  next  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Chicago,  April  7,  1870. 
*'  To  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the 

Northwest. 

Brethren  :  It  is  now  nearly  eleven  years  since  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Church  appointed  me  to  a  professorship  in 
the  Seminary  under  your  immediate  care.  During  these  years, 
with  the  intermission  of  scarcely  a  day,  I  have  performed  the 
duties  of  my  office  according  to  the  grace  God  has  given  me. 
The  whole  period  has  been  one  of  extraordinary  civil  and 
religious  interest  and  moment.  With  so  considerable  a  portion 
of  my  life  incorporated  in  the  life  of  the  Seminary  at  such  an 


1870-1872.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  263 

epoch,  it  would  be  strange  if  the  thought  of  separation  from  it 
did  not  awaken  unfeigned  and  deep  feehng.  For  some  time 
past,  however,  a  series  of  efforts  has  been  in  process  to  induce 
me  to  take  another  position  in  connection  with  the  educational 
work  of  the  Church.  These  efforts,  I  deem  it  my  duty  to 
inform  you,  have  so  far  influenced  my  judgment  that  it  is  my 
present  purpose  to  resign  my  professorship  here  to  the  General 
Assembly  at  its  approaching  sessions  in  Philadelphia.  Should 
that  venerable  body  acquiesce  in  my  view  of  the  matter  the 
chair  of  Theology  will  of  course  be  vacant. 

"  Will  the  Board  also  allow  me  to  ask  their  attention  to 
another  matter.  The  amount  due  me  from  the  Seminary  at 
the  present  time  is  something  over  $4,000.  In  the  want  of  it  I 
am  subjected  to  the  most  painful  embarrassment  in  respect 
even  to  the  means  of  daily  living.  Besides  this  I  have  obliga- 
tions resting  on  me  which  .mature  some  five  or  six-  weeks 
hence  and  which  I  am  utterly  unable  to  meet  apart  from  the 
money  thus  due.  In  these  circumstances  I  respectfully  and 
most  earnestly  ask  the  Board  to  take  such  action  as  the 
exigency  requires.  I  presume  it  can  make  no  practical  differ- 
ence with  the  Board  whether  it  owes  this  amount  to  some  one 
who  desires  only  the  interest  upon  it  or  to  me.  But  it  does 
make  a  most  serious  difference  with  me  who  so  imperatively 
need  both  principal  and  interest. 

"  Praying  that  God  may  direct  all  your  counsels  and  acts 
relative  to  the  Seminary,  and  that  His  blessing  may  rest  upon 
it  in  all  time  to  come,  I  am, 

Yours  very  truly, 

Willis  Lord." 
The  letter  was  referred  to  a  committee,  consisting  of  Dr.  R. 
W.  Patterson,  Rev.  R.  G.  Thompson  and  Judge  Grier.  Dr. 
Patterson,  chairman  of  this  committee,  presented  the  following 
minute  touching  Dr.  Lord's  communication,  which  was 
adopted : 

"Whereas,  Rev.  Willis  Lord,  D.D.,  occupied  the  professor- 
ship of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  for  nine  years  after  its  establish- 
ment, fulfilling  the  duties  of  his  office  with  diligence,  energy 


264  HisToiiY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

and  ability  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  with  marked  success, 
manifested  by  the  number  and  usefuhiess  of  the  young  men 
who  have,  by  his  labors  and  those  of  his  co-professors,  been 
prepared  for  the  positions  of  usefulness  they  now  occupy  in 
the  churches  at  home  and  as  missionaries  to  the  heathen  ;  and, 
when  by  the  providence  of  God  on  two  occasions  the  chair  of 
Theology  became  vacant,  fulfilling  the  duties  of  that  chair  also, 
before  his  final  appointment  to  it  two  years  ago,  with  great 
acceptance ;  and 

"  Whereas,  Dr.  Lord  informs  us  by  letter  of  his  design  to 
resign  his  professorship  to  the  next  General  Assembly,  in  order 
to  accept  a  position  of  influence  in  connection  with  general 
Christian  education ;  therefore 
^  ''Resolved,  1st.  That  the  thanks  of  this  Board  be  and 
hereby  are  tendered  to  Dr.  Lord  for  his  valuable  services,  and 
our  prayer  is  that  he  may  be  blessed  with  increasing  influence 
and  usefulness  in  the  position  to  which  he  feels  it  his  duty  to 
remove. 

"  Resolved,  2nd.  That  the  Board  direct  the  trustees  to  take 
measures,  by  temporary  loan  or  otherwise,  to  discharge  that 
obligation  immediately.""^ 

During  all  the  years  in  which  Dr.  Lord  held  his  important 
position  he  had  shown  himself  to  be  a  most  thorough  and 
competent  instructor  in  each  of  the  professorial  chairs  which 
he  filled.  Punctual  to  the  moment  in  all  his  class-room  exer- 
cises, polite,  afTablc,  considerate  and  ever  kind  to  all  his  pupils, 
he  won  their  admiration  and  inspired  their  ent}iusiasm  as  a 
scholar  and  a  teacher.  His  students  as  a  body,  his  colleagues 
of  the  faculty  and  the  Board  of  Directors,  as  attested  by  all 
their  annual  examinations,  regarded  him  as  an  instructor  of  the 
first  order,  invariably  clear,  sound  and  thorough  on  whatever 
branch  he  attempted  to  teach.  While  doing  this  thorough 
work  in  the  Seminary  for  its  successive  classes,  he  also  was 
largely  instrumental  in  gathering  together,  fully  organizing 
and  building  up  a  flourishing  Presbyterian  church  on  FuUerton 
avenue,  not  far  from  the  Seminary,  the  first  church  of  any  kind 
in    the  neighborhood,    to    which    he    acted    as   pulpit    supply 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp  353-360. 


1870-1872.      RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.        265 

through  all  its  earlier  years,  and  which  furnished,  by  reason  of 
its  nearness  to  the  Seminary,  a  pleasant  church  home  for  the 
students.  Still  further,  during  all  his  service  as  a  professor, 
Dr.  Lord  exercised  his  gifts  as  a  preacher  to  a  very  wide  ex- 
tent among  the  churches  of  Illinois  and  adjacent  states. 
Being  an  instructive  and  popular  speaker,  his  ministry  was 
always  in  much  demand  among  the  churches  and  he  rendered 
efficient  service  to  the  cause  of  the  Seminary  through  these  fre- 
quent calls  to  preach. 

The  resignation  of  Dr.  Lord  was  presented  to  the  General 
Assembly  of  1870  and,  on  the  recommendation  of  its  com- 
mittee on  seminaries,  was  accepted  and  the  following  resolution 
adopted  by  the  Assembly  : 

^'  Resolved,  That,  in  accepting  Dr.  Lord's  resignation  of  the 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick  chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology 
in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  the  General 
Assembly  express  their  sense  of  the  ability  and  fidelity  with 
which  he  has  discharged  the  important  duties  committed  to 
him,  and  their  gratitude  to  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  for 
the  success  by  which  He  has  marked  His  approbation  of  Dr. 
Lord's  labors  in  training  young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry, 
praying  that  all  his  future  labors  for  the  promotion  of  sound 
scriptural  education  may  be  abundantly  blessed,  and  that  at 
the  last  he  may  receive  from  the  Lord  himself  the  promised 
public  approval,  '  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.'  " 

Though  Dr.  Lord's  connection  with  the  history  of  the  Semi- 
nary ceased  at  this  date,  he  continued  to  serve  the  Church  in 
other  fields  of  usefulness,  with  unabated  zeal  and  with  almost 
uninterrupted  activity,  down  to  the  close  of  his  valuable  life 
in  the  autumn  of  1888.  The  principal  events  of  that  life  are 
set  forth  in  the  following  short  sketch. 

Dr.  Willis  Lord  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  having  been 
born  at  Bridgeport,  September  15,  1809.  He  was  graduated  at 
Williams  College,  Massachusetts,  in  1833  ;  studied  theology  at 
Princeton,  N.  J.,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  the 
Litchfield  North  Congregational  Association.  After  having 
preached  for   a   season,   successively,  in   two   Congregational 


266  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

churches,  the  first  at  Xew  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  the  second  at 
Providence,  R.  I.,  he  removed  to  Philadelphia,  Pa,,  in  the  year 
1840  and  became  pastor  of  the  Pennsylvania  Square  Presby- 
terian church  of  that  city.  Here  eleven  years  of  his  young  and 
vigorous  manhood  were  given  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  From 
1846  to  1850  he  acted  as  stated  clerk  of  the  Presbyterian  Gen- 
eral Assembly.  During  this  period  he  received  from  his  alma 
mater,  Williams  College,  the  honorary  degree  of  doctor  of 
divinity. 

After  leaWng  Philadelphia  Dr.  Lord  held  several  important 
pastoral  charges,  in  each  of  which  he  spent  a  few  years,  inter- 
rupted only  by  impaired  health,  one  at  Cincinnati,  O.,  one  at 
Fairfield,  Conn.,  and  one  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  These  were  all 
prior  to  his  being  elected  to  the  chair  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesi- 
astical Histor\'  in  the  Theological  Seminar\^  at  Chicago  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1859.  His  varied  and  accurate  scholar- 
ship, his  rich  Christian  experience  gained  from  pastoral  over- 
sight, his  urbanity  of  manner  and  fine  pulpit  talents,  all  com- 
bined to  prepare  him  for  his  work  as  a  professor  and  to  make 
him  a  thorough  and  much  admired  instructor. 

Dr.  Lord's  memory  is  gratefully  and  affectionately  cherished 
by  the  students  of  the  successive  classes  who  were  under  his 
instruction  during  the  eleven  years  of  his  connection  with  the 
Seminar\'.  He  magnified  his  oflfice  in  all  its  sacred  responsi- 
bihties  and  no  one  could  have  been  truer  to  all  the  duties 
which  devolved  upon  him  in  it.  Daily  he  was  brought  into 
close  personal  contact  with  each  of  his  pupils  and  he  spared 
no  pains  to  secure  their  highest  mental  and  spiritual  advance- 
ment. '*  His  one  aim,"  writes  one  of  them,  ''was  to  aid  them 
in  their  preparation  for  the  serv  ice  of  Christ,  and  when  they 
left  the  Seminar^'  he  never  lost  sight  of  them.  He  sympa- 
thized with  them  in  their  trials,  he  rejoiced  at  their  success 
and  on  his  heart  they  were  borne  before  God  in  fer\'ent  prayer." 
In  return  ever\'  one  of  them  loved  and  honored  him. 

On  retiring  from  the  Seminar)-,  Dr.  Lord  was  at  once  called 
to  the  presidency  of  the  University  of  Wooster,  at  Wooster, 
Ohio,  where  he  spent  three  years  in  active,  useful  labor.  At  his 
departure  the  honorary'  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  was  conferred 


1870-1872.      RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.        267 

upon  him.  After  leaving  the  university,  he  prepared  and  pub- 
Hshed  a  valuable  volume  containing  the  mature  results  of  many 
years  of  study  and  bearing  the  attractive  title  "  Christian 
Theolog}'  for  the  People."  Its  object  was  to  simplify  and 
popularize,  as  far  as  possible,  the  great  truths  of  our  accepted 
sy>tematic  theology.  This  work,  in  a  few  years,  was  followed 
by  another,  on  a  theme  very  dear  to  his  heart,  entitled  *'  The 
Blessed  Hope,  or  the  Glorious  Coming  of  our  Lord."  Each  of 
these  works  was  marked  by  clear  solid  thought  grounded  on  a 
careful  examination  of  the  Scriptures  and  expressed  in  a  style 
of  classic  terseness  and  purity.  Each  bears  evidence  of  his 
scholarship. 

In  1875  the  Central  Presbyterian  church  of  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, extended  to  Dr.  Lord  an  invitation  to  supply  their  pul- 
pit, which  was  soon  followed  by  a  call  to  become  their  pastor. 
This  he  accepted  and  he  entered  upon  his  loved  work  of 
preaching  and  pastoral  labor  in  that  important  and  growing 
city  with  his  accustomed  energy.  His  ministr}'-  in  Den\er, 
coming  at  a  period  when  it  was  greatly  needed  in  the  territor\', 
was  ver}-  popular  and  was  attended  by  the  best  spiritual 
results  to  the  Church  and  to  the  whole  community.  After  a 
while  his  health  gave  way  and  a  severe  illness  ensued,  which 
caused  his  return  to  the  East.  But,  though  compelled  to 
retire  from  this  inviting  field,  his  memory  still  lingered, 
enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  whom  he  loved  so  well 
and  for  whom  he  had  so  successfully  labored. 

In  the  spring  of  1877,  his  strength  being  somewhat  restored. 
Dr.  Lord  undertook  the  supply  of  the  pulpit  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  he  found  many 
dear  and  faithful  friends,  all  the  more  appreciated  by  him 
under  the  increasing  infirmities  of  age.  His  strong  desire  was 
to  work  on  in  his  Master's  service  until  he  reached  the  period 
of  three-score  years  and  ten  and  this  was  not  denied  him. 
In  the  fall  of  1879  ^^^  returned  again  to  the  mountains  of  the 
great  West  and  settled  at  Colorado  Springs,  where  he 
preached  and  lectured  occasionally  for  the  next  three  years. 
In  1882  he  was  for  a  brief  period  connected  with  the  Colo- 
rado  College,   in  which  he   found   congenial   employment   as 


268  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

a  Christian  educator.  The  next  year  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  Presbyterian  College  of  the  Southwest,  at  Del  Norte, 
Colorado.  But,  after  a  few  months  of  well  directed  effort  in 
that  position,  he  became  so  affected  by  the  high  altitude  of 
the  region  that  he  was  compelled  to  leave  a  work  for  which  he 
was  so  well  fitted  and  in  which  he  would  have  so  delighted. 

After  a  second  attempt  to  carry  on  this  new  college  work, 
he  became  convinced  that  a  lower  elevation  than  could  be 
found  in  Colorado  was  absolutely  necessary  for  his  health.  He 
therefore,  in  the  fall  of  1884,  took  charge  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Junction  City,  Kansas,  where  he  remained  for 
nearly  a  year.  But  from  this  time  onward  his  infirmities 
increased  and  he  became  a  constant  sufferer.  To  get  relief  he 
spent  his  winters  in  Florida,  and  while  there  he  preached, 
as  opportunity  offered,  to  the  Presbyterian  churches,  both 
Northern  and  Southern,  which  were  much  edified  by  his  ser- 
vices. Dr.  Lord  loved  to  preach  the  gospel  and  he  lost  no 
opportunity  of  doing  so  for  a  period  of  more  than  fifty  years. 
From  this  brief  sketch  it  is  seen  how  wide  a  ministry  he  had 
exercised,  reaching  from  New  England  to  Florida,  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  was  on  his  way  to 
Florida  when  the  last  summons  came.  He  had  stopped  for 
rest  at  Guilford,  Conn.,  and  there,  on  the  28th  of  October, 
1888,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  on  the  Lord's  Day,  he 
passed  away.  After  funeral  services  at  Guilford,  his  remains 
were  carried  for  interment  to  his  mountain  home  at  Colorado 
Springs. 

Dr.  Lord  was  twice  married.  In  June,  1834,  he  was  married 
at  Danbury,  Conn.,  to  Miss  Hannah  Boughton,  who  was  his 
constant,  faithful  and  tenderly  cherished  companion  for  more 
than  forty-eight  years.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them. 
Of  these  only  three  survived  their  parents,  John  R.  Lord,  of 
Denver,  Mrs.  Sarah  S.  Kirkwood,  wife  of  Rev.  Thomas  C. 
Kirkwood,  D.D.,  of  Colorado  Springs,  and  Mrs.  Sophia  T. 
Murphy,  of  Chatfield,  Minn.,  who,  on  her  marriage  to  Rev. 
Samuel  Murphy,  went  with  him  as  a  missionary  to  the  western 
coast  of  Africa.  In  August,  1884,  Dr.  Lord  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Ellen  T.  Pinney,  who  was  left  to  mourn  his  loss.     To  her 


1870-1872.     RESULrS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.         269 

loving  care  he  was  greatly  indebted  for  the  comfort  of  his 
declining  years. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  in  1870,  there  were  again 
two  different  reports  before  its  committee  on  seminaries  from 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  a 
majority  report,  and  a  minority  report  signed  by  five  of  the 
directors,  as  well  as  a  protest  signed  by  two  of  the  directors, 
representing  that  the  action  of  the  majority  had  not  been 
in  accordance  with  previous  directions  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly. This  ''minority"  and  these  "  protestants  "  complained 
that  the  majority  in  the  Board  of  Directors  had  restored  the 
three  old  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  to  their  places  in 
that  Board,  thereby  violating  the  terms  of  the  amicable  adjust- 
ment of  the  preceding  Assembly  which  had  been  agreed  upon 
by  the  committee  of  investigation.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
majority  report  showed  clearly  that  the  "  new  friends  of  the 
Seminary"  as  represented  by  the  minority  report  and  by 
these  ''  protestants "  had  failed  to  comply  with  their  part  of 
the  conditions  in  the  amicable  adjustment  and  with  the 
explicit  injunctions  of -the  Assembly,  by  not  contributing  the 
$25,000  endowment  to  the  funds,  or  any  considerable  part  of  it. 

In  bringing  before  the  Assembly  of  1870  this  divided  state 
of  things  at  Chicago,  its  committee  on  theological  seminaries, 
with  Dr.  William  Adams  as  chairman,  said : 

"  A  number  of  gentlemen  connected  with  or  interested  in 
this  Seminary  (of  the  Northwest)  appeared  before  the  com- 
mittee and  were  heard  at  length.  From  all  which  your  com- 
mittee are  obliged  to  state,  as  we  do  with  deep  regret,  that  the 
difficulties  heretofore  existing,  and  which  were  supposed  to 
have  been  amicably  and  finally  adjusted  by  the  action  of  the 
Assembly  sitting  in. the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.,  in  November  last,  still  continue,  or  have  broken 
out  afresh,  and  that  by  this  renewal  of  strife  the  interests  of 
the  Seminary  are  greatly  imperilled  and  our  common  Christi- 
anity subjected  to  reproach.  In  view  .of  the  facts  that  have 
come  before  us,  the  committee  recommend  the  following 
action,  based  on  the  decision  of  the  Assembly  in  November 
last. 


2/0  HISTORY  OF  iMcCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

'  Resolved,  1st.  That  the  Assembly  solemnly  enjoin  upon 
the  parties  that  no  further  controversy  respectmg  past  issues  be 
indulged  in  and  all  should  cordially  unite  in  efforts  to  promote 
the  prosperity  of  the  institution  in  the  field  of  usefulness  now- 
open  before  it. 

'  Resolved,  2d.  That,  inasmuch  as  the  chair  of  Theology  has 
been  vacated  by  the  resignation  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lord,  and  Mr. 
McX^ormick  has  been  released  from  the  fourth  installment  of 
his  bond  according  to  the  direction  of  the  Assembly,  no  occa- 
sion exists  for  controversy  in  reference  to  these  matters. 

'  Resolved,  3rd,  That,  inasmuch  as  it  appears  that  dissatisfac- 
tion has  been  created  by  the  election  of  trustees  in  April  last, 
the  Assembly  enjoin  upon  the  directors  to  make  such  changes 
as  will  conform  their  action  to  Article  3  of  the  agreement, 
whereby  persons  not  unacceptable  to  either  party  shall  take 
the  places  of  the  three  trustees  who  resigned  in  accordance 
with  the  direction  of  the  Assembly. 

*  Resolved,  4th.  That,  in  accordance  with  Article  4  of  the 
agreement,  '  all  the  friends  and  patrons  of  the  Seminary  shall 
have  a  proper  share  in  the  management  of  the  institution;  and 
those  friends  of  the  Seminary  who  have  not  yet  contributed 
toward  its  endowment  shall  make  earnest  efforts  to  complete 
the  endowment.' 

"  The  committee  recommend  that  the  vacancy  in  the  chair 
of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  be  filled  by  this  Assembly." 

Whereupon  the  Rev.  George  L.  Prentiss,  D.D.,  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  New  York,  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.D.,  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Fort  Wayne,  and  the  Rev.  Robert  W.  Patterson, 
D.D.,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago  (N.  S.),were  put  in  nomi- 
nation as  candidates  for  the  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  professor- 
ship in  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northw^st.'^  Dr. 
Skinner  was  the  decided  choice  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors at  Chicago.  He  had,  in  fact,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Board 
been  nominated  for  the  chair  of  Theology  by  a  unanimous  and 
rising  vote  with  much  enthusiasm.  It  was,  however,  sug- 
gested when  the  Assembly  met  that  Dr.  Prentiss  of  New 
York  would  be  a  more  acceptable   man  to   the   New  School 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1S70,  pp.  72,73. 


Il>70-i872.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  271 

branch  of  the  Church,  and,  as  all  parties  in  the  Old  School 
branch  desired  to  give  their  new  brethren  a  place  in  the  Semi- 
nary by  putting  the  man  of  their  choice  in  this  important 
chair,  this  view  at  length  prevailed. 

When  the  election  came  on  the  names  of  Dr.  Patterson  and 
Dr.  Skinner  were  withdrawn,  and  Dr.  Prentiss  was  unanimously 
chosen  McCormick  professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theol- 
ogy. At  the  same  time,  with  a  view  to  giving  the  former 
New  School  brethren  of  the  reunited  Church  a  representa- 
tion in  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Seminary,  all  the  direc- 
tors of  one  year,  whose  term  of  ofifice  then  expired,  ten  in 
number  and  including  some  of  the  oldest  and  most  faithful 
directors  the  Seminary  ever  had,  such  as  Rev,  F.  N.  Ewing, 
Rev.  S.  T.  Wilson,  D.D.,  and  Samuel  Howe,  were  dropped  and 
ten  new  ones  elected  in  their  places.  The  new  members  were 
R.  W.  Patterson,  D.D.,  W.  S.  Curtis,  D.D.,  G.  C.  Noyes,  L. 
Pratt,  L.  H.  Reid,  ministers,  and  J.  S.  Farrand,  M.  P.  Ayres, 
H.  E.  Seelye,  I.  Scarritt  and  S.  Harvey,  ruling  elders."^ 

One  fruitful  result  of  the  action  of  the  Assembly  of  1859  i^ 
releasing  Mr.  McCormick  from  his  bond  was  that  it  restored 
his  confidence  in  the  wisdom  and  integrity  of  the  Assembly, 
which  had  been  somewhat  shaken  by  the  action  of  the  two 
assemblies  of  1866  and  1867.  He  felt  satisfied  now  to  renew 
his  contributions  to  the  Seminary.  He  was  accordingly  pres- 
ent at  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  at  Philadelphia  in  1870 
and  made  known  to  some  of  its  leading  members  with  whom 
he  was  in  daily  conference  his  purpose  to  endow  the  chair  of 
Theology,  which  bore  his  name,  with  the  sum  of  forty-five 
thousand  dollars,  nearly  double  the  amount  from  which  he  had 
been  released.  He  was  strong,  too,  in  the  conviction  that  the 
true  policy  of  the  Seminary  now,  under  the  reunited  Church, 
was  to  give  the  position  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of 
Dr.  Lord  to  one  who  had  been  a  member  of  the  New  School 
body  until  the  time  of  the  reunion.  He  considered  that  this 
would  be  fair  and  just  on  the  part  of  the  Old  School  brethren, 
inasmuch  as  the  three  professors  of  the  existing  faculty  had  all 
been   connected   with   the  Old  School  body  at   the  time   of 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1870,  p.  109. 


2/2  HISTORY  OF  MCCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

reunion.  His  object  was  to  conciliate  all  parties,  and  It  was  a 
worthy  one.  He  only  asked  that  the  man  chosen  to  the  posi- 
tion should  be  sound  in  the  faith,  according  to  the  accepted 
standards  of  the  Church,  and  at  the  same  time  acceptable  to 
the  New  School  brethren  as  one  of  their  representative  men. 
It  was  understood  at  the  time  that  the  candidate  on  whom  the 
choice  fell,  Dr.  George  L.  Prentiss,  was  entirely  acceptable  to 
Mr.  McCormick  on  both  of  these  grounds,  as  he  was  in  fact  to 
all  parties  in  the  reunited  Church. 

The  chair  of  Theology  had  already  received  towards  its 
endowment  the  sum  of  $5,000,  subscribed  by  Messrs.  Peoples 
and  Ridgeway  of  Evansville,  Indiana,  when  Dr.  MacMaster 
was  elected  to  it  in  1866,  which  donation  was  obtained  through 
the  solicitation  of  Rev.  John  Crozier.  And  as  the  chair,  by 
action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  as  early  as  1859,  bore  Mr. 
McCormick's  name,  he  now  proposed  to  complete  its  endow- 
ment by  raising  it  to  $50,000.  He  accordingly  in  1872 
addressed  the  following  instrument  of  endowment  to  the  Board 
of  Trustees : 

**  I  hereby  give  and  donate  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  a  corporation 
created  and  existing  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  the  sum  of  forty-five  thousand  dollars  ($45,- 
000)  as  ^  fund  for  the  permanent  endowment  of  the  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology 
in  said  Seminary,  said  sum  to  be  safely  and  securely  invested 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  continue  the  principal  thereof  unim- 
paired, and  the  annual  increase  and  income  arising  or  accruing 
therefrom  to  be  devoted  to  the  maintenance  and  support  of 
the  incumbent  of  said  chair  or  professorship ;  provided,  how- 
ever, that  this  gift  and  donation  is  upon  the  express  condition 
that  said  Seminary  shall  continue  in  connection  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  United  States  of  America  as  one  of  the 
seminaries  of  said  church  for  the  education  of  young  men  for 
the  gospel  ministry,  and  provided  also  and  upon  the  further 
condition  that  the  instruction  imparted  by  said  incumbent  shall 
be  in  harmony  with  the  doctrinal  standards  of  said  church  as 
understood  and  interpreted  by  its  General  Assembly,  and  pro- 


1870-1872.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  273 

vided  also  and  upon  the  further  condition  that  the  terms  of 
this  donation  shall  be  entered  at  large  and  as  herein  expressed 
upon  the  records  of  said  corporation,  in  order  that  the  evidence 
thereof  may  be  thereby  preserved. 

Attest:  S.  M.  Moore.  C.  H.  McCormick." 

March  ist,  1872. 

The  following  is  the  text  of  acceptance,  on  the  part  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  of  this  important  trust :  "  Received  from 
Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  forty-five  thousand  dollars  ($45,- 
000)  as  a  fund  for  the  permanent  endowment  of  the  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology 
in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  to 
be  invested  in  such  a  manner  as  to  continue  the  principal 
thereof  unimpaired,  and  the  annual  increase  and  income  arising 
therefrom  to  be  devoted  to  the  maintenance  and  support  of 
the  incumbent  of  said  chair  or  professorship,  said  donation 
having  been  made  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  a  corporation  created  and 
existing  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illi- 
nois, for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  upon  the  condition  that  the  said 
Seminary  shall  continue  in  connection  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  as  one  of  the  seminaries  of  said 
church  for  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  ministry,  and 
that  the  instruction  imparted  by  said  incumbent  be  in  harmony 
with  the  doctrinal  standards  of  said  church,  as  understood  and 
interpreted  by  its  General  Assembly,  and  provided  further  that 
the  terms  of  said  donation  be  entered  at  large  upon  the  records 
of  said  corporation,  in  order  that  the  evidence  thereof  may  be 
preserved. 

*'In  testimony  whereof,  said  corporation  has  caused  this 
instrument  to  be  signed  by  its  president  and  duly  attested  by 
its  secretary,  and  its  corporate  seal  to  be  afHxed  hereto,  this 
first  day  of  March,  A.  D.  1872. 

Attest:  G.  F.  Bissell,  V.  A.  Turpin, 

Treasurer.       President  of  Board  of  Trustees."* 

Dr.  Prentiss  did  not  accept  the  appointment,  and  the  chair 
remained  vacant  till  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  at  Chicago 

*  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  p.  629. 


274  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

in  1 87 1,  when  he  was  again  elected.  In  the  meantime  the 
duties  of  the  chair  were  discharged  by  the  other  professors. 
At  the  request  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Board,  the 
three  professors  divided  the  instructions  of  this  department 
equally  among  themselves,  in  addition  to  the  work  of  their 
own  chairs.  Dr.  Elliott  taking  the  junior  class,  Dr.  Blackburn 
the  middle  class  and  Dr.  Halsey  the  senior  class.  This 
arrangement  continued  through  the  two  sessions  of  1 870-1 871 
and  1871-1872.  For  Dr.  Prentiss,  after  waiting  through  the 
summer  of  1871  following  his  second  election,  again  declined 
the  position,  after  the  opening  of  the  session,  thus  leaving  the 
chair  vacant  when  it  was  too  late  to  appoint  any  one  else.  In 
this  emergency  the  three  professors  were  again  called  to  the 
service  and  at  the  request  of  the  executive  committee  con- 
tinued, through  the  session  of  1 871-1872,  to  instruct  all  the 
classes  in  theology,  under  the  arrangement  of  the  preceding 
year.  During  the  session  of  1 870-1 871  another  instructor  was 
appointed  to  assist  Dr.  Elliott  in  the  Hebrew  department. 
This  was  Rev.  Samuel  W.  Powell,  A.M.,  who  held  the  position 
for  one  year. 

The  examining  committees  of  the  Board  at  the  close  of 
each  session  during  these  two  years  reported  the  work  of 
instruction  thorough  and  satisfactory  in  all  departments.  The 
number  of  students  in  attendance  was  well  sustained,  being 
thirty-eight  during  the  session  of  1 870  and  twenty-three 
during  that  of  1871.  The  great  Chicago  fire,  occurring  just  at 
the  opening  of  the  session  of  1871,  had  the  effect  of  inducing 
several  of  the  more  advanced  students  to  leave  and  go  to  the 
eastern  seminaries  that  year.  .  Still  all  the  classes  pursued  their 
studies  as  usual  to  the  end  of  the  session.  The  number 
graduated  in  the  first  of  these  years  was  eight  and  in  the 
second  seven. 

When  the  General  Assembly  of  1871  elected  Dr.  Prentiss  a 
second  time  to  the  vacant  chair  of  Theology,  it  also  made  pro- 
vision for  the  contingency  of  his  declining  a  second  time  by 
empowering  the  Board  of  Directors  to  meet  and  nominate  a 
suitable  incumbent  for  the  chair,  who  should  enter  at  once  on 
the   work    of    instruction    and    whose   confirmation    in    office 


1870-1872.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  275 

should  be  referred  to  the  next  Assembly."  ^  The  Board  of 
Directors  and  the  faculty,  with  Mr.  McCormick  and  others  at 
Chicago,  used  every  effort  to  induce  Dr.  Prentiss  to  accept  the 
call,  but  in  vain.  After  careful  and  protracted  consideration 
he  came  to  the  conclusion,  after  the  opening  of  the  session 
and  after  the  great  fire  of  October  9th,  1 871,  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  decline.  Upon  learning  this  decision  the  Board  of 
Directors  obeyed  the  instruction  of  the  Assembly.  A  meeting 
was  called  by  the  president  of  the  Board  for  the  5th  day  of 
December,  1871.  At  this  meeting,  with  entire  unanimity. 
Rev.  Francis  L.  Patton,  D.D.,thenof  Brooklyn,  N.Y.,  was  nomi- 
nated to  fill  the  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  professorship  of  Didactic 
and  Polemic  Theology.  The  professor  thus  chosen  soon  made 
known  his  acceptance  of  the  chair,  and  on  the  1st  of  March, 
1872,  one  month  before  the  close  of  the  session,  he  arrived  in 
Chicago  to  assume  its  duties.  Thus  nominated  as  professor 
by  the  directors,  Dr.  Patton  was  formally  confirmed  in  office 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  i872.f 

Professor  Patton  was  inducted  into  office  in  the  presence  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  and  a  larg^e  audience  assembled  in  the 
Third  Presbyterian  church  of  Chicago,  October  3rd,  1872.  The 
constitutional  pledge  was  taken  and  a  solemn  charge  was 
received  by  him  from  Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore,  president  of  the 
Board,  and  from  Dr.  Robert  W.  Patterson,  one  of  its  members, 
after  which  he  delivered  an  able  inaugural  discourse  on 
"  Christian  Theology  and  Current  Thought."  He  presented 
the  theme  under  five  principal  heads,  which  were.  Christian 
theology  as  related  to  secular  science,  as  exclusive,  as  formu- 
lated, as  progressive  and  as  symbolical.  The  three  addresses 
were  published  in  pamphlet  form. 

In  their  annual  report  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1872,  the 
Board  of  Directors  refer  to  the  great  fire  of  the  preceding  year, 
and  make  mention  with  devout  thankfulness  to  God  of  the 
wonderful  escape  of  the  Seminary  with  all  its  property.  For  a 
while  during  the  storm  of  fire  which  destroyed  a  large  portion 
of  the  city  it  seemed  that  everything  belonging  to  the  Semi- 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1871,  p.  578. 
t  IMinutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1S72,  p.  124. 


276  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

nary  would  be  swept  away.  But,  in  the  good  providence  of 
God,  the  wind  ^^^ered  around  and  the  course  of  the  devouring 
element  was  so  changed  that  the  Seminary  buildings  and  the 
homes  of  all  the  professors  escaped  the  flames.  The  fire,  how- 
ever, left  the  institution  standing  almost  on  the  edge  of  a 
desolated  and  ruined  district  which  stretched  away  for  several 
miles  between  it  and  the  portions  of  the  city  not  burned. 

In  this  report  the  Board  spoke  also  of  the  large  addition 
made  to  the  permanent  funds  of  the  institution  by  Mr. 
McCormick,  notwithstanding  his  own  heavy  losses  by  the  fire. 
The  directors  said : 

"  It  is  our  great  pleasure  to  report  that  this  addition  to  the 
permanent  funds,  for  payment  of  professors'  salaries,  is  made 
by  the  generous  and  munificent  donation  of  $45,000  by  that 
friend  of  religion  and  learning,  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick.  It 
mattered  not  that  the  fire  consumed  his  houses  and  business. 
He  promptly  and  cheerfully  contributed  the  $45,000;  and  that 
made  the  entire  sum  of  $50,000,  now  actually  paid  into  our 
treasury  and  loaned  out  at  ten  per  cent,  interest  for  the  per- 
petual endowment  of  the  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  professorship 
of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology.  This  last  contribution 
makes  the  sum  of  $120,000  that  he  has  contributed  to  oiir 
permanent  endowment  fund,  and  for  which  he  has  the  thanks 
of  those  who  rejoice  in  every  effort  to  spread  the  gospel  and 
extend  the  Redeemer's  kingdom." 

When  Professor  Patton  was  elected  to  the  McCormick  chair 
of  Theology  the  Board  of  Directors  fixed  his  salary  at  $5,000 
per  annum.  The  salary  of  the  other  professors  had  never  been 
more  than  $3,000  per  aimum  and  at  that  time  it  was  only 
$2,500  per  annum.  This  discrimination  in  favor  of  the  new 
incumbent  was  felt  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  secure  a  pro- 
fessor in  that  chair.  But  it  was  a  departure  from  the  policy 
which  had  hitherto  prevailed  in  the  Seminary  from  its  origin 
and  in  every  other  theological  seminary  of  the  Church.  The 
principle  of  an  absolute  equality  among  the  professors,  both 
as  to  authority  and  pecuniary  remuneration,  had  always  been 
recognized  in  these  schools  of  theology  and,  so  far  as  known 
to  the  writer,  never  departed  from.     The  older  professors  in 


1870-1872.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  277 

this  instance  acquiesced  in  the  inequality,  for  they  were  as 
anxious  as  the  directors  themselves  to  see  the  chair  filled,  and 
this  seemed  the  only  way  to  do  it.  The  Board  of  Directors 
would  undoubtedly  have  preferred  to  raise  the  salaries  of  all 
the  chairs  to  the  same  sum  had  there  been  funds,  to  do  so. 
But  the  chair  of  Theology  was  the  only  one  at  that  time  fully 
endowed  and  therefore  the  old  policy  of  1859,  under  which 
the  Seminary  started,  had  to  be  set  aside.  Fortunately  the 
new  principle  ended  with  this  one  application  of  it.  When 
new  professors  came  to  be  elected  in  1881  and  1882  it  was 
wholly  abandoned,  as  it  was  known  that  the  new  professors 
would  not  accept  positions  in  an  institution  where  such  ine- 
qualities prevailed. 

After  the  reunion  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Church  in 
1870,  committees  were  appointed  by  the  Assembly  of  that  year 
and  of  the  succeeding  year  to  examine  the  constitutions  of  all 
the  seminaries  in  the  reunited  Church  and  report  what  changes 
and  amendments  were  needed  in  order  to  bringr  all  these  insti- 
tutions,  as  nearly  as  practicable,  into  uniformity  of  operation 
and  of  relation  to  the  General  Assembly.  In  accordance  with 
this  action  of  the  two  Assemblies  of  1870  and  1871  the  Board 
of  Directors,  having  thoroughly  considered  the  matter  in  their 
annual  report  of  1872,  informed  the  Assembly  of  that  year 
what  alterations  and  amendments  to  the  constitution  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  were  necessary,  and  of 
their  entire  willingness  that  the  Assembly  should  adopt  them. 
Among  the  important  changes  thus  proposed  by  the  Board 
of  Directors  and  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  was  one 
that  "  the  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  power  to  receive  resig- 
nations and  declinatures  and  to  fill  all  vacancies  which  may 
occur  in  its  own  body,  subject  always  to  the  veto  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly."  Another  amendment  was  that  '*  the  Board  of 
Directors  shall  have  power  to  elect  and  duly  induct  into  ofifice 
and  inaugurate  the  professors  of  the  Seminary  and  to  receive 
their  resignations,  also  to  remove  them  from  ofifice,  such  elec- 
tions and  removals  to  be  subject  to  the  veto  of  the  General 
Assembly." 

The  Board  of  Directors,  before  presenting  these  changes 


278  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

and  amendments  to  the  Assembly,  had  the  full  consent 
and  approval  of  Mr.  McCormick  in  regard  to  them,  and 
they  were  entirely  unanimous  in  thinking  them  wise  and  need- 
ful. They  were  also  sustained  in  their  opinion  by  the  judg- 
ment of  the  Hon.  Samuel  ]\I.  Moore,  president  of  the  Board, 
Judge  Henry  G.  Miller  and  Rev.  R.  \V.  Patterson,  D.D.,  who 
had  been  a  committee  appointed  to  examine  the  question  of 
these  new  relations  of  the  Seminary  to  the  General  Assembly. 
This  able  committee  said  to  the  Board  and,  through  the  Board, 
to  the  General  Assembly  : 

"  Your  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  propriety  of 
suggesting  such  amendments  and  changes  of  the  constitution 
of  our  Seminary  as  may  bring  the  same  into  harmony  with  the 
expressed  views  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  would  report  that 
they  have  considered  the  matter  and  that  they  find  no  objec- 
tions thereto.  They  understand  that  the  generous  and  chris- 
tian-spirited  donor  of  the  only  portion  of  our  property  and 
funds  that  is  held  subject  to  the  continuance  of  the  relations 
of  the  Seminary  to  the  General  Assembly  consents  that  the 
management  and  control  may  be  transferred  to  the  Board  of 
Directors,  the  Assembly  reserving  the  right  to  disapprove  and 
forbid  in  certain  matters.  We  believe  that  the  change  will 
redound  to  the  benefit  and  efficiency  of  the  Seminary." 

The  Revised  Constitution  of  the  Seminary  of  1872,  embody- 
ing all  these  amendments,  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this 
volume.*  Under  this  revised  constitution,  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors soon  had  the  opportunity  of  electing  a  professor  in  the 
Seminary.  On  the  27th  of  May,  1873,  the  Board  of  Directors 
thought  it  wise  and  expedient  to  create  a  new  professorship,  to 
take  charge  of  a  department  of  study  not  hitherto  provided 
for  in  the  curriculum  of  the  Seminary.  The  title  of  the  chair 
finally  adopted  was  Christian  Evidences  and  Ethics,  cover- 
ing what  is  sometimes  called  Apologetics.  To  this  new  chair 
Rev.  Robert  W.  Patterson,  D.D.,  widely  known  as  one  of  the 
ablest  representative  men  of  the  former  New  School  body,  was 
appointed.     He    had    long   been    one  of  the   most   successful 

*  See  Appendix  F. 


1870-1872.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  279 

pastors  in  Chicago,  and  this  appointment,  while  it  seemed  a 
fitting  recognition  of  his  eminent  position  and  faithful  services 
to  the  Church,  was  at  the  same  time  regarded  by  all  parties  as 
a  most  suitable  indication  that  both  wings  of  the  reunited 
Church  were  to  have  a  representation  in  the  faculty  of  the 
Seminary. 

Dr.  Patterson  promptly  signified  his  willingness  to  accept 
the  position  on  condition  that  proper  provision  should  be  made 
for  his  support.  This  was  secured  when  the  Second  Presby- 
terian church  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  had  long  been  pastor,  if 
not  indeed  the  founder,  came  forward  and  guaranteed  the  pay- 
ment of  the  salary  of  the  chair  for  a  term  of  years,  independ- 
ently of  other  Seminary  funds,  in  the  event  of  his  acceptance. 
Upon  this  guaranty  Dr.  Patterson  accepted  the  position  and 
the  executive  committee  made  arrangements  for  his  inaugu- 
ration. The  inauguration,  however,  was  deferred,  at  Dr. 
Patterson's  suggestion,  until  after  the  General  Assembly  should 
meet  and  confirm  the  election. 

The  election  of  Dr.  Patterson  to  the  chair  of  Christian  Evi- 
dences and  Ethics  having  been  sanctioned  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  1874,  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
to  induct  him  into  office  was  called  for  the  evening  of  Decem- 
ber 15,  1874.  The  inauguration  took  place  at  his  old  church, 
the  Second  Presbyterian  of  Chicago.  The  constitutional 
pledge  of  office  was  subscribed  by  the  professor  elect.  An 
address  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Willis  G.  Craig,  D.D.,  president 
of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Niccolls,  D.D.,  of 
St.  Louis,  deHvered  the  charge  to  the  new  professor,  which  was 
followed  by  an  able  and  elaborate  discourse  by  Dr.  Patterson 
defining  The  Nature  and  Conditions  of  Progress  in  Theol- 
ogy. The  discourse  and  the  other  addresses  of  the  evening 
were  published  by  the  executive  committee. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  General  Assembly  of  1870,  in 
order  to  give  the  former  New  School  branch  of  the  Church  a 
part  in  the  management  of  the  Seminary  after  the  reunion, 
dropped  the  names  of  ten  of  the  old  members  of  the  Board, 
including  that  of  Mr.  Samuel  Howe  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Howe 
had   been  so  prominent  and  so  efficient  in  the  whole  former 


28o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

administration  of  Seminary  affairs  that  his  name  would  no 
doubt  have  been  restored  to  the  directory  on  the  occurrence  of 
the  first  vacancy,  as  was  that  of  Mr.  Ewing  which  was  dropped 
at  the  same  time  and  for  the  same  reason,  but  that  his  useful 
career  was  cut  short  by  his  death,  which  occurred  on  May  2, 
1872. 

Mr.  Howe,  from  an  early  period,  had  rendered  good  service 
as  a  member  of  both  the  directory  and  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
He  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  latter  Board,  his 
name,  with  eight  others,  being  in  the  act  of  incorporation  by 
which  the  legislature  of  Illinois  in  1857  n^ade  that  body  the 
legal  corporate  authority  under  which  all  the  property  of  the 
Seminary  has  since  been  held.  He  was  the  first  treasurer  of 
that  Board  and  afterwards  its  secretary.  While  continuing  to 
serve  for  many  years  on  the  Board  of  Trustees,  he  was  in  1863 
also  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  in  which 
capacity,  at  all  its  regular  meetings  and  on  its  executive  com- 
mittee, he  proved  himself  a  wise  counselor  and  a  most  faithful 
supporter  of  the  Seminary. 

Mr.  Howe  was  born  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  December  20, 
18 12.  He  removed  to  the  West,  and,  after  a  brief  residence  in 
Hamilton,  Ohio,  during  which  he  married  Miss  Sarah  H.  Cook 
(a  native  also  of  Pennsylvania),  he  came  to  Illinois  and  made 
Chicago  his  permanent  home.  Here  he  soon  became  intimately 
connected  with  the  business  and  progress  of  the  rising  city,  and 
he  had  much  to  do  with  the  growth  and  development  of  its 
churches  and  its  benevolent  institutions.  He  became  widely 
known  as  a  most  energetic  business  man  and  as  a  faithful,  con- 
sistent Christian  in  all  his  business  engagements.  From  the 
first  his  example,  both  as  a  man  and  as  a  Christian,  was  upright 
and  consistent.  Through  his  whole  history  his  influence  was 
ever  given  to  sustain  the  moral  character  of  the  city  and  to 
conserve  all  its  highest  spiritual  interests. 

Mr.  Howe  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  Chicago's  best  repre- 
sentative men.  He  belonged  to  that  band  of  early  pioneers 
who  bore  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day  and  who  by  their 
industry,  foresight,  energetic  activity  and  high-toned  Christian 
character  laid    the    foundations  of   churches,   schools,  orphan 


1870-1872.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  281 

asylums,  theological  seminaries  and  other  public  institutions, 
and  thus  made  the  city  what  it  is  to-day.  Outside  of  the  min- 
istry there  was,  perhaps,  in  the  past  history  of  Chicago  no  one 
amongst  all  her  honored  citizens  more  fully  identified  with  every 
faithful  and  persevering  effort  for  the  public  good  than  Samuel 
Howe.  He  was  not  at  any  time  in  possession  of  large  pecuni- 
ary means  to  bestow  on  Christian  and  benevolent  enterprises. 
But  such  as  he  had — his  energy,  his  practical  labor,  his  personal 
sympathy — he  was  always  ready  to  give.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  during  more  than  thirty  years,  the  period  of  his 
life-work  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Howe  was  ever  ready  to  lend  a  sym- 
pathizing co-operation  and  a  liberal  helping  hand  to  every  good 
and  noble  enterprise  that  was  attempted  or  accomplished  in 
the  city. 

He  was  an  early  and  honored  member  of  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade,  taking  part  in  all  its  public  transactions,  and,  to  the 
whole  extent  of  his  influence,  reflecting  credit  upon  it  by  his 
own  sterling  integrity  of  character.  Not  only  in  the  Old 
North  Presbyterian  church  of  this  city  (now  the  Fourth),  of 
which  he  was  a  member  and  a  ruling  elder  almost  from  its 
origin,  but  in  all  the  more  extended  agencies  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  throughout  the  Northwest,  he  was  found  willing 
and  ready  for  every  good  work.  .  He  was  a  man  of  firm  faith 
and  strong  convictions  on  all  points  of  duty  ;  so  firm  and  strong 
that  he  would  have  died  as  a  martyr  rather  than  renounce  his 
settled  opinions.  He  was  a  man  of  deep  and  tender  sympa- 
thies for  the  poor  and  oppressed  among  his  fellow  men,  and  at 
the  same  time  an  indefatigable  practical  worker  in  doing  good 
to  others. 

Most  valuable  personal  services  were  given  to  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  by  him,  without  remuneration,  from  the  time 
of  its  location  in  Chicago  until  almost  the  end  of  his  life,  and, 
so  far  as  God  had  blessed  him  with  the  means  of  giving,  he  was 
a  liberal  contributor  to  its  funds,  at  one  time  sustaining  a  schol- 
arship for  indigent  students,  in  whose  welfare  he  always  took  a 
deep  interest.  The  noble  wife  who  shared  in  all  his  generous 
impulses  of  benevolence  had  much  to  do  in  sustaining  this 
institution  through  its  earlier  years  in  Chicago,  and  proved  her- 


282  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

self  not  only  a  patron,  but  a  mother  to  its  inmates.  Her  house 
was  at  times  a  home  of  hospitality  to  the  student  when  out  of 
health,  and  both  ministers  and  elders,  from  far  and  near,  when 
visiting  the  city,  always  found  in  that  home  a  cordial  Christian 
welcome. 

To  the  efficient  influence  of  Mr.  Howe,  ably  seconded  by 
this  excellent  lady  who  survived  him  and  carried  on  their  joint 
work  after  he  was  gone,  Chicago  is  largely  indebted  for  that 
noble  charity  known  as  the  Half  Orphan  Asylum,  which,  from 
small  beginnings  and  after  many  years  of  their  personal  service 
and  liberality,  has  now  grown  to  be  one  of  the  permanent  and 
most  useful  institutions  of  the  city.  A  wayside  Sunday-school 
gathered  in  the  early  days  from  the  children  and  youth  of  the 
German  population  in  a  destitute  portion  of  the  North  Side, 
and  at  first  largely  sustained  by  the  liberality  and  personal 
services  of  Mr.  Howe  and  his  family,  grew  into  the  Howe 
Mission  and  then  became  Christ  Chapel,  which,  under  the 
fostering  care  of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  church,  stands  to-day 
in  successful  operation  as  another  of  the  many  memorials  of 
this  good  man's  zeal  in  the  cause  of  his  Master. 

Mr.  Howe  was  one  of  the  sufferers  in  the  great  Chicago  fire 
of  1 87 1.  At  no  small  risk  of  life  he  escaped  with,  his  family 
from  their  burning  dwelling,  which,  with  all  its  contents,  was 
soon  laid  in  ashes.  Thus  deprived  of  earthly  goods  and 
thrown  late  in  life  upon  his  own  exertions,  he  came  forth 
from  the  fiery  ordeal  with  a  Christian  character  purified  and 
refined  as  gold  from  the  furnace.  With  that  characteristic 
energy  and  decision  which  had  marked  his  whole  career  he 
set  to  work  immediately  to  recover  from  the  great  disaster. 
He  had  secured  a  little  home  at  Oak  Park,  near  the  city, 
and  had  been  in  it  about  a  week,  when  he  was  stricken  down 
by  a  severe  and  fatal  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  He  was 
taken  ill  on  Saturday  evening  and  died  on  the  following  Thurs- 
day morning,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  When 
apprised  of  his  approaching  end  he  expressed  no  fear  and  made 
no  complaint.  He  said  his  preparations  for  death  had  been 
made  long  before,  and  if  such  was  the  will  of  God  he  was  ready 
to  go.     He  had  only  desired  to  remain  longer  in  order  that  he 


1870-1S72.    RESULTS  OF  THE  AMICABLE  ADJUSTMENT.  283 

might  make  some  better  provision  for  the  loved  ones  of  his 
family. 

Seldom  has  a  nobler  testimony  been  given  on  a  dying  bed. 
The  day  before  his  death,  when  asked  by  a  member  of  his  fam- 
ily what  was  now  the  foundation  of  his  hope,  he  replied  with 
the  most  earnest  and  emphatic  confidence,  "  The  doctrines  of 
the  Bible  ;  these  old  doctrines  which  I  have  tried  to  live  by  are 
the  doctrines  to  die  by."  He  had  fought  a  good  fight,  he  had 
kept  the  faith,  he  had  finished  his  course,  and  we  cannot  doubt 
that  the  crown  of  righteousness  is  his.  Not  only  the  Semi- 
nary, but  the  city  and  the  whole  Church  have  reason  to  hold 
in  lasting  honor  the  name  of  Samuel  Howe. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  SECOND  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED. 

1 872- 1 876. 

Chapel  and  Library  Building  Needed.  Action  of  Executive  Committee. 
Action  of  Directors.  Other  Needs  of  the  Institution.  Salaries  of  the  Profes- 
sors. Special  Agency  of  Charles  A.  Spring.  Rev.  John  M.  Faris  Appointed. 
His  Successful  Agency.  His  Wise  Policy  for  the  Chapel.  Three  Liberal 
Donors  Pledged,  J.  L.  Williams,  C.  B.  Nelson  and  C.  H.  McCormick. 
Meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  1875.  Their  Action.  The  Plan 
Accepted.  Building  Committee  Appointed.  The  Work  Begun.  Corner 
Stone  Laid.  Dr.  Halsey's  Address.  The  Edifice  Completed,  Its  Cost. 
Occupied  in  1876.  Formal  Dedication  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Board 
in  1876.  Historical  Address  by  Dr.  J.  Edwards.  Address  by  Rev.  A.  E. 
Kittredge,  D.D.  Testimonial  to  Rev.  J.  M.  Faris  on  His  Successful  Work. 
Other  Important  Work  Needed.  Larger  Endowment  for  Three  Chairs. 
Teacher  of  Elocution  Appointed.  Decease  of  Two  of  the  Directors.  Minute 
of  the  Board  on  Rev.  Dr.  J.  G.  Bergen.  Minute  on  Hon.  Isaac  Scarritt. 
Death  of  Wesley  Munger  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  Memorial  on  His 
Character. 

With  the  increase  of  students — the  whole  number  in  attend- 
ance rising  some  years  as  high  as  thirty-eight — the  faculty 
began  to  feel  the  serious  inconvenience  of  the  small  rooms  in 
the  one  Seminary  building.  There  was  no  room  large  enough 
to  accommodate  with  convenience  that  number  of  young  men 
in  the  devotional  and  preaching  services  and  none  adequate 
for  the  increasing  library.  There  was  urgent  need  that  some- 
thing should  be  done  to  secure  another  building  which  would 
furnish  larger  recitation  and  lecture  rooms  for  the  professors, 
and  especially  a  building  that  should  contain  both  a  chapel 
and  a  library  room  adequate  to  the  increased  demands  of  the 
institution.  But  there  was  not  a  dollar  in  hand  for  the  purpose 
and  the  pressing  practical  problem  was  how  to  obtain  such  a 

284 


^m 


MR.   CLAUDIUS  B.   NELSON. 


1872-1876.     SECOND  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  285 

building.  The  question  how  to  raise  this  second  edifice  was 
about  as  difficult  to  answer  as  had  been  the  similar  question 
ten  years  before  with  regard  to  the  first,  and  the  need  of  it 
seemed  scarcely  less. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  directors  in  April,  1872,  this 
important  matter  was  brought  before  them  in  the  report  of  their 
executive  committee  in  the  following  terms  :  "  We  desire  to 
call  the  attention  of  the  Board  to  the  fact  that  we  very  greatly 
need  a  chapel  and  library  and  lecture  rooms.  These  ought  to 
be  substantial  and  fire-proof.  We  all  feel  the  necessity  of 
them  and  we  would  advise  that  they  be  built  immediately  if 
we  had  the  means.  Not  having  the  means  we  can  only  com- 
mend the  matter  to  our  friends  and  the  Church  with  the  ear- 
nest desire  that  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  will  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  He  has  entrusted  means  and 
ability  to  contribute  to  and  erect  for  the  Church  such  a 
building." 

At  the  same  meeting,  when  the  report  of  the  faculty  for  the 
preceding  session,  187 1-18/ 2,  came  before  them,  the  Board 
adopted  the  following  minute  in  relation  to  the  professors  and 
students  who  had  stood  faithfully  at  their  post  during  that 
trying  time  :  ''  The  Board  desire  to  say  also  that  they  have 
received  with  great  pleasure  the  evidence  which  appears  in  that 
report  of  the  fidelity  with  which  the  members  of  the  faculty 
have  pursued  their  labors  during  the  past  year,  with  its  unusual 
and  most  burdensome  discouragements ;  and  that  they  learn 
also  with  great  satisfaction  that  so  many  of  the  students  have 
adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  the  Seminary,  notwithstanding  the 
difficulties  and  disappointments  encountered  during  the  year, 
and  that  they  have  with  such  commendable  diligence  given 
themselves  to  their  prescribed  duties." 

As  one  of  the  chairs — that  of  Theology — had  now  a  com- 
plete endowment,  adequate  to  pay  its  incumbent  a  salary  of 
$5,000  per  annum,  the  Board  were  very  desirous  of  having  all 
the  other  chairs  more  largely  endowed,  as  they  felt  that  the 
existing  salary  of  $2,500  to  the  other  professors  was  not  enough. 
A  few  years  later  they  did  make  these  salaries  $3,000  per 
annum,  thus  getting  them  back  to  the  amount  on  which  the  pro- 


286  HISTORY  OF  McCORxMlCK  SEMINARY. 

fessors  of  1859  began  their  work.  But  at  the  time  under  discus- 
sion the  means  were  lacking  for  either  a  chapel  and  library 
building  or  a  larger  endowment.  The  Board,  however,  at  this 
meeting  in  1872,  passed  the  following  resolution,  offered  by 
Rev.  Abbott  E.  Kittredge,  D.D. :  "  Resolved,  That  the  execu- 
tive committee  be  requested  to  take  immediate  measures,  as 
shall  seem  to  them  expedient,  to  secure  funds  sufficient  to 
complete  the  endowment  of  the  other  chairs  of  the  Seminary 
and  to  erect  a  chapel  and  library  building."  "^ 

But  another  year  passed  and  nothing  had  been  accomplished 
for  either  of  these  objects.  When  the  Board  met  in  April, 
1873,  the  executive  committee  in  its  annual  report  again  called 
special  attention  to  this  matter.  The  committee  said:  "We 
must  reiterate  the  pressing  want  of  suitable  buildings.  Every 
day  the  want  of  lecture  and  library  rooms  and  chapel  is  felt 
more  and  more.  The  matter  should  be  kept  before  the 
churches  and  good  men  to  whom  the  Lord  has  entrusted 
this  world's  goods.  What  can  be  done  to  enable  us  to  give 
proper  salaries  to  our  professors  ?  We  all  know  that  $2,500  is 
not  a  sufficient  compensation  for  the  services  rendered  by 
them.  As  opportunity  has  offered  we  know  there  are  those 
who  have  presented  this  matter  and  urged  its  importance  upon 
men  who  could  give  and  who  would  be  the  better  and  happier 
for  having  bestowed  their  income  for  such  a  purpose.  But  at 
present  we  see  not  whence  are  to  come  the  means." 

This  committee,  of  which  Judge  Samuel  M.  Moore,  who 
knew  so  well  the  urgency  of  the  case,  was  chairman,  did  not 
abandon  what  seemed  a  hopeless  plea,  but  went  on  in  the 
same  report  to  say  : 

"At  present  we  have  $50,000  invested  for  the  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  professorship  and  $85,567  invested  for  the  other 
three  chairs.  This  last  sum  yields  about  $8,500  per  annum. 
If  it  yielded  $9,000,  we  could  pay  the  professors  occupying  the 
said  three  chairs  $3,000  each.  We  hesitate  to  advise  paying 
what  is  not  provided  for  and  yet  we  cannot  but  believe  the 
Church  will  do  right  and  furnish  the  means.  Therefore  we 
advise  that  the  respective  salaries  of  Professors  Halsey,  Elliott 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  456,  462. 


1872-1876.       SECOND  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  28/ 

and  Blackburn  be  increased  to  $3,000.  And  we  trust  at  an 
early  day  the  Church  will  realize  that  it  is  a  high  privilege  to 
provide  the  means  for  paying  the  incumbents  of  those  chairs  a 
full  equivalent  for  services  rendered."  ''^ 

These  repeated  reports  of  the  executive  committee  serve  to 
illustrate  the  urgent  need  of  increased  facilities  at  the  Semi- 
nary in  the  way  of  buildings  and  at  the  same  time  the  diffi- 
culty of  raising  money  either  for  buildings  or  endowment. 
Similar  appeals  were  again  made  to  the  Board  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  1874,  and  by  the  Board  itself  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  its  successive  annual  reports,  in  which  the  want 
of  a  chapel  and  library  building  is  declared  to  be  an  ''un- 
questionable and  prime  necessity."  The  Board  at  the  meet- 
ing of  1874  finally  saw  its  way  clear  to  raise  the  salary  of 
the  three  professors  to  $3,000  per  annum,  which  was  paid  for 
a  time,  but  nothing  was  accomplished  tow^ards  the  much 
needed  chapel  and  library  building. 

An  earnest  and  vigorous  effort  had  been  made  for  that  pur- 
pose during  the  preceding  year  by  Mr.  Charles  A.  Spring,  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  who  had  been  from  the 
beginning  a  tried  and  faithful  friend  of  the  Seminary.  Mr. 
Spring  proposed  to  raise  a  building  fund  of  $50,000  in  sub- 
scriptions to  be  paid  by  the  first  of  May,  1874,  and  conditioned 
on  raising  the  whole  sum  by  that  time.  He  was  authorized  as 
a  special  agent  for  this  work.  He  had  the  promise  of  $5,000 
from  Mr.  McCormick  to  head  the  list.  Assisted  by  Mr.  Charles 
Crosby,  another  member  of  the  Board  of  Directers,  then 
acting  as  general  agent  of  the  Seminary,  Mr.  Spring  went  to 
work  during  the  summer  of  1873  and  working  with  wonderful 
energy  had  succeeded  in  raising  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of 
$20,000.  But  suddenly  his  progress  was  arrested  by  the  disas- 
trous financial  panic  of  that  year  and  nothing  further  could 
be  done.  It  was  a  painful  disappointment  to  him  and  to  all 
the  friends  of  the  Seminary.  As  all  of  the  notes  were  condi- 
tioned on  the  raising  of  the  whole  sum,  which  had  failed,  they 
were  unavailable  for  building  purposes.  Mr.  Spring,  therefore, 
ceased  further  solicitation  and  retired  from  the  work,  with  the 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  490,  491. 


288  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

thanks   of  the  Board  at  its  next  meeting  for  his  commendable 
exertions  and  his  generous  unrequited  services. 

Thus  another  year  passed  without  the  desired  chapel,  and 
it  was  not  until  1875  that  any  real  advance  was  made  towards 
its  erection.  It  was  at  last  accomplished  in  that  year  through 
the  effective  agency  of  the  Rev.  John  M.  Paris,  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  1859,  ^^'^"^o  ^^^^  at 
the  time  secretary  of  the  Board  and  general  agent  of  the  Semi- 
nary. Mr.  Paris  had  been  an  indefatigable  and  successful 
financial  agent  of  the  Seminary  for  several  years  prior  to  1867, 
Rev.  I.  N.  Candee,  D.D.,  was  agent  for  a  short  time  in  1867 
and  v^as  succeeded  by  Rev.  William  B.  Truax,  one  of  the  early 
graduates  of  the  Seminary,  in  the  class  of  1859-1861.  Mr. 
Truax  rendered  important  service  to  the  Seminary  in  that 
capacity  through  a  series  of  years  from  1868  to  the  meeting  of 
the  Board  in  October,  1872,  when  failing  health  led  him  to 
resign.  He  was  a  faithful,  energetic  agent  and  had  been  suc- 
cessful in  raising,  by  his  collections  among  the  churches,  the 
funds  needed  from  year  to  year  for  the  current  expenses  of  the 
institution. 

In  December,  1873,  the  executive  committee  again  engaged 
Mr.  Paris,  who  in  former  years  had  shown  so  much  ability  in 
collecting  funds,  to  enter  upon  the  much-needed  work  of  gen- 
eral and  financial  agent,  and  to  this  office  he  w^as  elected  by 
the  Board  itself  at  its  annual  meeting  in  April,  1874.  He  at 
once  applied  himself,  in  connection  with  his  general  work,  to 
this  special  object  of  raising  the  means  to  build  the  chapel  and 
library.  He  was  allowed  by  the  Board  full  discretion  as  to  the 
amount  to  be  raised  and  the  method  of  raising  it.  Mr.  Paris 
hoped  to  get  some  of  Mr.  Spring's  former  subscriptions 
renewed,  but  he  did  not  deem  it  necessary  under  the  changed 
condition  of  the  times  to  raise  so  large  a  sum  as  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  He  saw  that  the  building  needed  could  then  be  put 
up  for  a  far  less  sum  and  his  plan  was  to  secure  it  not  from 
many,  but  a  few  liberal  donors. 

The  idea  was  a  good  one  and  he  was  soon  able  to  bring  it 
to  a  practical  and  satisfactory  realization.  He  set  to  work,  by 
personal   application  and  by  correspondence,  to  lay  the  cause 


1872-1876.     SECOND  SEMLNARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  289 

of  the  much-needed  chapel  before  certain  prominent  gentle- 
men, who,  as  he  knew,  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  Seminary. 
He  urged  its  claims  with  such  success  that  when  the  Board  held 
its  annual  meeting  in  April,  1875,  ^^  had  plans  for  a  building 
already  drawn  and  was  ready  to  report  the  favorable  result  of 
his  financial  applications  to  these  gentlemen.  He  laid  before 
the  Board  three  brief  communications,  the  result  of  his 
repeated  conversations  and  correspondence  with  three  influen- 
tial and  liberal  friends  of  the  Seminary,  in  which  each  pledged 
himself  to  give  S5'000  for  the  object,  on  condition  that  each  of 
the  others  should  do  the  same 

These  public-spirited  donors  were  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick,  Hon.  Jesse  L.  Williams  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  and 
Mr.  Claudius  B.  Nelson  of  Chicago,  the  last  two  members  of 
the  Board  of  Directors,  and  the  first  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
Mr.  Faris  laid  before  the  directors  plans  and  estimates  for  a 
building  made  by  the  former  architect  of  the  Seminary,  Mr.  G. 
P.  Randal],  and  reported  that  after  making  full  inquiry  he  was 
convinced  that  a  substantial  brick  and  stone  edifice  of  ample 
dimensions  for  chapel,  library  and  lecture-rooms  could  be  erected 
that  season  for  about  $15,000.  The  pledges  of  the  three  gen- 
tlemen were  so  reliable  and  the  estimated  cost  so  low  and  at 
the  same  time  so  trustworthy,  being  given  on  Mr.  Faris's  and 
Mr.  Randall's  sound  practical  judgment,  that  the  Board,  with- 
out further  delay,  determined  to  go  forward  with  the  under- 
taking, relying  upon  the  agent's  ability  to  collect  whatever 
additional  amount  might  be  required  for  furnishing  and  equip- 
ping the  building. 

The  Board  of  Directors  accepted  the  several  propositions  of 
Messrs.  Williams,  Nelson  and  McCormick  brought  before  them 
in  the  report  of  the  agent  and  adopted  the  following  minute 
expressive  of  their  sentiments  on  receiving  this  joint  and  gen- 
erous donation : 

''  The  Board  of  Directors  have  heard  through  their  agent, 
with  great  pleasure,  of  the  offer  of  the  Hon.  C.  H.  McCormick, 
Hon.  J.  L.  Williams  and  C.  B.  Nelson,  Esq.,  to  give  to  the 
Seminary  five  thousand  dollars  each,  for  the  purpose  of  build- 
ing a  chapel,  library  and  other  rooms  attached  for  the  institu- 


290  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

tion.  They  would  hereby  express  their  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments to  these  gentlemen  for  this  large  and  noble  benefaction 
and  their  appreciation  of  the  great  service  thus  rendered  to 
the  Seminary  and  to  the  whole  Church.  The  institution  has 
long  felt  the  need  of  an  additional  building  for  this  purpose ; 
and  the  Board  in  accepting  this  liberal  and  seasonable  dona- 
tion, by  which  the  Seminary  can  at  once  secure  so  great  a 
benefit,  feel  that  the  generous  donors  are  entitled  to  the  lasting 
gratitude  of  all  the  friends  of  the  institution  and  of  our  Church 
in  the  Northwest." 

The  Board  on  motion  of  Rev.  John  M.  Faris,  who  was  one 
of  its  members,  then  appointed  Messrs.  C.  B.  Nelson  and  H.  G. 
Miller  of  the  directors  and  Hon.  R.  B.  Mason  of  the  trustees 
a  building  committee,  with  full  power  to  act  in  the  premises 
and  with  directions  to  proceed  in  the  work  with  promptness."^ 

On  the  19th  oF  June,  1875,  the  corner  stone  of  this  second 
building  of  the  Seminary  group  was  laid,  with  appropriate 
ceremonies,  under  the  direction  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  Board  of  Directors.  The  need  of  it  had  been  so  long  felt 
that  the  occasion  was  one  of  joy  and  congratulation  to  all  who 
had  an  interest  in  the  Seminary.  At  the  invitation  of  the 
executive  committee,  Hon.  R.  B.  Mason,  chairman  of  the 
building  committee,  presided  and  laid  the  corner  stone.  Pro- 
fessor F.  L.  Patton  offered  the  prayer.  Professor  W.  M.  Black- 
burn read  selections  of  Scripture  and  Professor  L.  J.  Halsey 
delivered  the  address,  in  which  he  recounted  in  grateful 
remembrance  the  history  of  the  institution  from  its  origin 
through  all  the  diversified  experiences  which  God  had  caused 
it  to  undergo.  Referring  to  the  munificent  donors  Dr.  Halsey 
said : 

"  I  have  no  words  adequate  to  express  my  appreciation  of 
the  value  of  these  benefactions  and  of  the  importance  of  this 
new  building  in  the  onward  progress  of  the  Seminary.  We 
cannot  doubt  that  it  marks  a  new  era  and  a  new  departure  in 
its  career  of  usefulness.  We  shall  hold  the  donors,  the  agent, 
the  building  committee  and  all  who  have  contributed  to  the 
enterprise  in  perpetual  honor.     I  congratulate  my^  colleagues 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  pp.  545-550- 


1872-1876.     SECOND  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  29I 

of  the  faculty  and  the  honorable  Board  of  Directors  and 
Trustees,  who  have  worked  so  long  and  faithfully  for  the 
institution,  and  also  all  its  scattered  alumni,  students  and 
friends,  on  this  happy  occasion.  This  new  house  will  fill  a 
vacancy  and  meet  a  want  which  has  long  been  most  deeply 
felt.  May  this  second  temple  be  even  more  sacred  and  blessed 
than  th^  first,  by  reason  of  the.  continual  in-dwelling  of  God's 
presence  and  the  blessing  of  His  protecting  providence.  May 
the  richest  blessings  of  Almighty  God,  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Ghost,  rest  upon  this  work  of  our  hands  and  make  this  place 
beautiful  and  glorious.  From  these  sacred  halls  may  there  go 
forth  in  all  time  to  come  a  succession  of  learned  and  godly 
ministers,  to  bless  the  Church  and  carry  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth."  The  closing  benediction 
was  pronounced  by  Professor  Charles  Elliott. 

The  work  of  building  was  carried  forward  through  the  sum- 
mer and  fall  of  1875  and  the  edifice  was  completed  and  ready 
for  occupancy  by  the  middle  of  the  ensuing  winter.  For 
several  months  before  the  close  of  the  session  of  1875-1876 
the  new  and  attractive  rooms  were  used  for  lectures  and  recita- 
tions, adding  greatly  to  the  convenience  and  comfort  of  profes- 
sors and  students.  When  the  Board  of  Directors  held  its 
seventeenth  annual  meeting  its  sessions  occupied  the  large 
chapel.  A  room  of  nearly  the  same  size  had  been  fitted  up 
for  the  library,  at  that  time  comprising  about  eight  thousand 
volumes.  Mr.  Faris,  in  reporting  to  the  Board  the  completion 
of  this  much  needed  and  convenient  edifice,  which  had  occu- 
pied his  unremitting  energies  for  a  good  part  of  the  year, 
stated  that  he  had  collected  for  it  in  all  to  that  date  the  sum 
of  $1 7.385,  that  its  whole  cost  had  been  about  $18,000  and 
that  §1,000  more  would  be  needed  to  make  everything  com- 
plete. 

The  formal  dedication  of  the  building  took  place  in  the 
chapel  April  6th,  1876,  during  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors.  According  to  previous  appointment,  besides  the 
usual  religious  services,  two  addresses  were  delivered  on  the 
occasion.  One  was  made  by  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  the  president  of  the  Board,  and  the  other  by  Rev. 


292  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

Abbott  E.  Kittredge,  D.D.,  one  of  the  directors  and  pastor  of 
the  Third  Presbyterian  church  of  Chicago.  Both  were  able 
and  in  the  best  style  of  their  distinguished  authors.  Dr. 
Edwards's  address  was  one  of  much  length  and  careful  prepara- 
tion and  withal  of  unusual  historical  value,  inasmuch  as  it 
traced  the  history  of  the  Seminary  from  its  origin  down 
through  all  its  earlier  years.  A  single  sentence  near  the  open- 
ing of  this  masterly  and  instructive  address  will  suffice  to  show 
the  purpose  and  method  of  the  author.  After  referring  to  the 
occasion  and  to  the  attractive  edifice  with  its  pleasant  sur- 
roundings, he  said: 

"  God  has  given  to  us  these  comforts  and  these  accommoda- 
tions. Or  rather  let  us  say  with  the  devout  prophet  judge  of 
Israel,  *  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us.'  '  Hitherto.' 
From  whence  ?  From  what  point  in  the  past  shall  we  take  our 
departure  that  we  may  realize  and  may  appreciate  the  kind 
and  the  amount  of  help  wherewith  the  Lord  hath  helped  us  ; 
the  providence,  the  men  and  the  policy  of  which  our  Seminary 
is  the  resultant?  I  shall  ask  you  to  glance  back  over  half  a 
century,  which  includes  our  history  as  an  institution,  while  I 
give  some  sketches  and  reminiscences  of  persons  and  incidents 
deserving  of  lasting  and  grateful  remembrance,  my  information 
being  derived  from  personal  observation  or  from  original 
sources.  For  obvious  reasons  I  shall  speak  only  of  those  who 
have  departed  this  life.  The  living  can  speak  for  themselves, 
nay,  their  works  praise  them  in  the  gates." 

Both  of  the  addresses  delivered  at  the  dedication  of  the 
chapel  and  library  building  were  afterwards  published  in 
pamphlet  form,  and  with  them  those  that  had  been  made  at 
the  time  of  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  same  building. 

Li  recording  the  happy  consummation  which  had  at  last 
crowned  the  effort  to  build  the  Seminary  chapel  the  executive 
committee,  in  their  report  to  the  Board  of  Directors  in  1876, 
did  not  fail  to  make  honorable  mention  of  the  agent,  Rev.  J. 
M.  Faris,  to  whose  skill  and  devotion  in  the  cause  the  final  suc- 
cess was  so  largely  due.  But  for  his  exertions  this  second 
edifice  probably  could  not  and  certainly  would  not  have  been 
erected  at  that  time  of  financial  embarrassment.     The  commit- 


1872-1876.    SECOND  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  293 

tee  said:  *'The  general 'agent  of  the  Seminary  has  been  inde- 
fatigable in  his  every  effort  to  serve  the  best  interests  of  the 
Seminary.  These  efforts  may  not  tell  very  much  in  the  way 
of  raising  money  or  endowment.  The  financial  condition  of 
the  country  has  been  such  that  success  was  not  to  be  expected. 
He  has,  however,  in  many  ways  succeeded  in  keeping  down 
expenses,  and  has  upon  many  occasions  manifested  a  noble  and 
generous  liberality  in  contributing  of  his  means  to  assist  the 
Seminary.  With  his  own  means  he  has  largely  and  generously 
contributed  to  make  available  at  once  the  large  and  noble  con- 
tribution of  another  (Mr.  C.  B.  Nelson)  in  real  estate.  The 
Rev.  John  M.  Faris  has  deserved  and  has  the  thanks  of  every 
friend  of  the  Seminary.*'  "^ 

Although  much  had  been  gained  for  the  Seminary  in  the 
accession  of  this  new  and  spacious  edifice,  still  other  important 
work  remained  to  be  done.  The  institution  was  greatly  widen- 
ing its  influence  by  the  regular  instruction  of  five  professors, 
and  also  of  an  accomplished  teacher  in  elocution,  Professor 
Robert  L.  Cumnock,  who  had  been  appointed  from  year  to  year 
since  1872  to  give  this  special  training  to  the  students.  But 
no  advance  had  yet  been  made  in  securing  a  larger  endowment 
for  the  chairs  of  the  three  professors  who  had  been  longest  in 
the  service.  Mr.  McCormick  as  far  back  as  187 1  had  promised 
to  give  the  sum  of  $15,000,  or  $5,000  to  each  chair,  in  order  to 
raise  the  salaries  of  the  three  incumbents,  if  others  would  con- 
tribute to  the  same  object.  Nothing,  however,  had  as  yet  been 
done  in  that  line,  much  as  the  directors  desired  it.  The  executive 
committee  in  making  their  satisfactory  report  in  1876  in  regard 
to  the  chapel  could  do  no  more  than  express  their  strong  desires 
on  the  other  point,  in  the  following  earnest  words  : 

''There  remains  yet  a  noble  work  to  be  done  for  the  Semi- 
nary. The  endowment  of  the  chairs  filled  by  Professors 
Halsey,  Elliott  and  Blackburn  is  insufficient,  and  as  yet  the 
chair  filled  by  Dr.  Patterson  is  unendowed.  These  are  really 
important  and  pressing  matters.  An  endowment  or  permanent 
fund  for  defraying  current  expenses,  other  than  salaries,  is  very 
much  needed.     We  have  all  regretted  the  want  of  more  social 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  581. 


294  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

privileges  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Seminary  and  can 
but  regret  that  there  is  not  any  way  that  we  see  to  erect  on  our 
lands  residences  for  our  professors.  If  this  could  be  done  it 
would  make  the  Seminary  much  more  desirable  for  theological 
students.  All  these  matters  we  would  commend  to  those  who 
have  means  and  a  desire  to  serve  the  Master."  "^ 

The  great  need  of  professors'  houses  and  social  privileges  so 
clearly  seen  in  1876  had  to  be  endured  several  years  longer 
before  it  was  supplied.  Yet  relief  came  at  last  and  within  less 
than  a  decade. 

Before  passing  from  this  period  of  the  history  mention  must 
be  made  of  the  fact  that  during  it  the  Board  was  deprived  by 
death  of  two  of  its  valuable  and  honored  members,  Rev.  John 
G.  Bergen,  D.D.,  of  Springfield,  111.,  and  Hon.  Isaac  Scarritt, 
of  Alton,  111.  They  were  both  faithful  and  efficient  m.embers 
of  the  Board  and  always  present  at  its  meetings  \\hen  health 
permitted.  Dr.  Bergen  had  moved  to  Illinois  in  early  life,  and 
had  rendered  great  service  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Central  Illinois  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  and  as  a  founder  and 
pastor  of  its  early  congregations.  He  was  a  fast  friend  of  the 
Seminary  from  its  establishment  at  Chicago  and  gave  the  money 
to  found  its  very  first  scholarship  in  1859. 

Dr.  Bergen  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey.  He  was  born  in 
1790,  was  educated  at  Princeton  and  licensed  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Brunswick,  and  was  a  pastor  in  his  native  state 
until  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1828.  He  settled  at  Springfield 
when  it  had  a  Presbyterian  church  of  only  nineteen  members. 
Many  revivals  of  religion  attended  his  ministry.  During  an 
active  life  of  about  twenty  years  in  that  place  and  its  vicinity 
seven  hundred  church  members  were  received  and  six  churches 
were  organized  in  the  county,  largely  through  his  influence. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  the  reunion  movement  of  the 
Church  and  was  made  moderator  of  the  reunited  Synod 
of  Illinois  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He  died  at  his 
residence  in  Springfield  on  the  17th  of  January,  1872.  While 
a  zealous  Presbyterian  and  devoted  to  his  own  Church,  he  was 
a  man  of  most  catholic  spirit  and  liberality  towards  all  evan- 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  583. 


1872-1876.      SECOND  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  295 

gelical  denominations.  He  lent  a  helping  hand  to  all  temper- 
ance, Sunday  school  and  educational  movements,  being  in 
some  of  them  a  pioneer  and  leader.  It  has  been  well  said  of  Dr. 
Bergen  that  ''  his  spirit  was  love ;  such  love  as  made  him  will- 
ing always  and  everywhere  to  sacrifice  himself  in  the.  most 
wonderful  charity  for  those  who  in  opinion  differed  from  him- 
self and  in  a  joyousness  through  life  like  that  of  a  child." 

The  Board,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  1872,  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing memorial  on  his  death,  presented  by  Rev.  F.  N.  Ewing, 
chairman  of  the  committee  who  had  been  appointed  to 
draft  it  : 

"  As  it  has  pleased  Divine  Providence,  since  the  last  meet- 
ing of  the  Board,  to  remove  from  us  Rev.  John  G.  Bergen, 
D.D.,  of  Springfield,  111.,  who  died  Jan.  17th,  1872,  we  would 
hereby,  as  a  Board,  express  and  record  our  high  appreciation 
of  the  character  and  services  of  Dr.  Bergen.  He  was  one 
of  the  faithful  and  honored  members  of  the  Board,  attending 
its  meetings  and  taking  a  lively  interest  in  the  success  of 
the  Seminary,  having  founded  one  of  its  first  scholarships. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  this 
state  and  spent  a  long  life  of  devoted  and  faithful  labor  in  the 
ministry.  He  never  ceased  to  give  both  to  the  Church  and 
the  Seminary  his  active  co-operation  and  his  deepest  Christian 
sympathies.  While  we  deplore  his  loss  and  shall  miss  his 
genial  presence  and  able  counsels  from  our  deliberations,  we 
feel  assured  that  death  to  him  has  been  eternal  gain.  Of  few 
men  can  it  be  more  truly  said  than  of  Dr.  Bergen  '  Heaven 
gave  him  length  of  days,  and  he  filled  them  up  with  works  of 
usefulness.'  "* 

The  Hon.  Isaac  Scarritt  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Alton,  Illinois.  He  was  one  of  the  ten 
representative  men  of  the  former  New  School  branch  of  the 
Church  who  were  elected  to  membership  in  the  Board  of 
Directors  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  reunited  Church  in 
May,  1870,  and  he  continued  to  serve  in  this  capacity  until  his 
death,  in  1874.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  in  April, 
1874,    Dr.    R.    W.    Patterson,    on    behalf    of    the    committee 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  458. 


296  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

appointed  to  prepare  a  suitable  minute  in  regard  to  his  death, 
presented  the  following  report,  which  was  accepted  and 
adopted  : 

"  Resolved,  That  we  have  been  pained  by  the  intelligence 
of  the  death  of  Hon.  Isaac  Scarritt ;  and  that,  while  humbly 
bowing  to  the  holy  will  and  providence  of  God  in  this  event, 
we  deeply  feel  that  by  it  this  Board  has  sustained  the  loss  of  a 
judicious  and  active  member,  and  the  cause  of  theological  and 
Christian  education  of  an  earnest  and  efificient  friend  whom  we 
have  all  delighted  to  honor. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  action  be  furnished  to  the 
family  of  our  deceased  brother."  ^ 

It  is  not  inappropriate  to  mention  in  this  connection 
another  faithful  friend  and  helper  of  the  Seminary,  whose 
death  occurred  at  a  period  a  little  earlier.  This  was  Wesley 
Munger,  Esq.,  of  Chicago,  who  was  one  of  the  early  members 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  who  for  several  years  held  the 
responsible  office  of  its  treasurer.  He  was  early  and  largely 
connected  with  the  grain  elevator  business  of  Chicago,  in 
which,  by  industry  and  energy,  he  accumulated  a  large  fortune. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  Christian  character.  His  health 
failing  in  the  winter  of  1867,  he  started  for  a  trip  to  Florida, 
accompanied  by  Mrs.  Munger,  but  died  on  the  way,  at  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.,  on  the  24th  of  January,  1868. 

The  following  minute  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Munger  is  taken 
from  the  records  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  under  date  of 
March  31st,  1868.  It  was  drafted  by  Mr.  Eliphalet  Wood, 
who  succeeded  Mr.  Munger  in  the  office  of  treasurer  of  the 
Board  : 

"  Since  the  last  meeting  one  of  our  number  has  been 
removed  by  death.  Mr.  Wood  presented  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolutions,  which  were  ordered  to  be  pjaced  upon 
record  : 

'  Whereas,  By  the  sudden  providence  of  God,  Wesley 
Munger,  one  of  our  associates  in  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  has 
been  removed  by  death  ;  and 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  p.  519. 


1872-1876.      SECOND  SEMINARY  BUILDING  ERECTED.  297 

'  Whereas,  The  connection  that  has  so  long  and  pleasantly 
existed  between  him  and  ourselves  is  now  closed  forever; 
therefore  be  it 

'Resolved,  That  in  the  removal  of  Wesley  Hunger  the 
Seminary  has  lost  one  of  its  safe  advisers,  the  Church  one 
of  its  most  devoted  and  exemplary  members,  the  family  circle 
its  cherished  head  and  the  community  an  honest  man,  '  the 
noblest  work  of  God.' 

*  Resolved,  That  to  the  family  and  kindred  of  the  deceased 
we  tender  our  warmest  Christian  sympathy  and  condole  with 
them  in  their  irreparable  loss. 

'  Resolved,  That  the  secretary  of  our  Board  enter  this  tes- 
timonial upon  the  records,  and  transmit  a  copy  to  the  family  of 
the  deceased  and  to  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,'  " 


CHAPTER  XX. 

RESIGNATIONS  AND-CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY. 

1876-1881.    , 


Dr.  Patton  and  the  Swing  Trial.  Internal  Growth.  Average  Attendance. 
Matron  of  the  Seminary.  Hebrew  Tutor.  Method  of  Examination.  Char- 
acter of  the  Students.  Year  of  Revival.  Social  and  Religious  Life  in  the 
Seminary.  Students  Entertained  by  Professors.  The  Institution  Like  a 
Home.  Testimony  of  the  Alumni.  Public  Entertainments.  After  the 
Reunion.  Students'  Reception.  Financial  Condition.  Large  Arrearage  of 
Debt.  Economical  Policy.  Reduction  of  Salaries.  Action  of  the  Board  on 
Salaries.  Committee  of  Ladies.  Thanks  of  the  Board.  Resignation  of 
Prof.  Patton.  Action  of  the  Board.  Resignation  Withdrawn.  Agents  to 
Raise  Funds.  Thanks  to  the  Agents.  Mr.  McCormick's  Portrait.  His 
Donations  for  the  Arrearage.  Professor  Patton  again  Resigns.  Efforts  to 
Retain  Him.  Hi^  Decision  to  go  to  Princeton.  Final  Letter.  Resignation 
of  Dr.  R.  W.  Patterson.  Resignation  of  Drs.  Halsey,  Elliott  and  Blackburn. 
Their  Letters.  Cause  of  these  Changes.  Dr.  Halsey  made  Professor  Emer- 
itus. Tribute  to  Drs.  Elliott  and  Blackburn.  Financial  Agent  Resigns. 
Action  of  the  Board. 

Dr.  Patton's  connection  with  the  Seminary  and  the  chair  of 
Theology  extended  from  1872  to  1881,  a  period  of  about  nine 
years  of  active  service.  During  a  considerable  part  of  the 
time  he  held  three  ofifices  and  exerted  a  marked  influence 
in  each  of  them.  Soon  after  his  inauguration  as  professor  of 
Theology  in  the  Seminary  he  became  editor  of  "The  Interior," 
the  Presbyterian  weekly  newspaper  of  Chicago,  and  after  a 
few  years  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Jefferson  Park 
Presbyterian  church  of  the  city.  Each  of  these  ofifices  he 
held  for  several  years,  in  addition  to  the  professorship  which 
extended  through  the  whole  period.  Besides  this,  he  at  one 
time  felt  himself  called  upon,  by  a  sense  of  duty,  to  take  the  lead 
in  the  famous  Swing  trial.    This  occurred  in  1874,  the  third  year 

298 


REV.   FRANCIS  L.   PATTON,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


1876-1881.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  299 

of  his  incumbency  at  the  Seminary,  and  made  that  year  an  era 
to  be  remembered  in  the  rehgious  circles  of  Chicago  and  in 
the  quiet  life  at  the  Seminary.  Of  course  it  was  but  an  epi- 
sode in  the  history  of  the  school  and  taking  place,  as  it  did,  in 
vacation  time,  without  any  action  whatever  on  the  part  of  the 
faculty,  the  Seminary,  as  such,  was  in  no  way  responsible  for 
the  prosecution  or  its  results.  This  is  all  the  more  apparent 
when  it  is  considered  that  Dr.  Patton,  besides  his  relation  to 
the  Seminary,  sustained  at  the  time  two  other  important  rela- 
tions, one  to  the  Chicago  Presbytery  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber and  the  other  to  the  newspaper  of  which  he  was  editor. 
It  was,  indeed,  in  the  exercise  of  his  ofihcial  functions  as  the 
responsible  editor  of  a  religious  journal,  reviewing  in  his  own 
paper  some  of  Professor  Swing's  published  sermons,  that  Dr. 
Patton  took  the  first  step  that  led  to  the  trial. 

For  the  space  of  four  or  five  years  following  the  Swing  trial 
and  the  erection  of  the  chapel  building,  the  work  of  the  Semi- 
nary was  carried  forward  very  successfully  and  smoothly  under 
the  instruction  of  its  five  professors.  The  average  attendance 
of  students  from  year  to  year  w^as  larger  and  their  average 
abihty  in  scholarship  was  higher  than  had  ever  been  witnessed 
before  in  any  equal  period  of  the  Seminary's  history.  Both 
the  faculty  and  the  successive  examining  committees  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  were  greatly  cheered  and  encouraged  by 
the  manifest  tokens  of  solid  growth  and  advancement  in  the 
institution,  and  both  bodies  made  mention  of  the  fact  in  their 
annual  reports.  There  seemed  now  but  little  lacking  to  place 
the  hitherto  much  retarded  school  on  a  basis  of  broad  and 
permanent  success,  on  which  it  might  soon  realize  the  hopes 
of  its  founders  and  the  high  demands  of  the  Church  in  the 
Northwest. 

During  this  period  the  institution  was  favored  in  its  board- 
ing department  with  the  skillful  management  of  Miss  Anne 
Williamson,  who  was  appointed  matron  from  year  to  year  for 
eight  or  nine  years.  She  was  a  lady  admirably  qualified  for 
the  place,  who  gave  entire  satisfaction  while  she  held  it  and 
retired  only  after  her  health  had  failed  in  the  service,  deeply 
regretted  by  students  and  professors.     During  the  sessions  of 


300  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

1876  and  1877  the  increasing  number  of  students  demanded 
an  assistant  instructor  in  Hebrew  and,  under  the  advice  of  the 
faculty,  the  executive  committee  called  to  this  service  Pro- 
fessor B.  Maimon,  an  accomplished  Hebrew  scholar,  who  held 
the  position  of  tutor  for  several  years. 

The  following  item,  taken  from  the  annual  report  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  to  the  General  Assembly  of  1877,  i^i 
relation  to  changes  made  at  this  time  in  the  method  of 
examinations,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  general  advancement  in 
scholarship  and  thoroughness  which  the  institution  was  mak- 
ing during  these  sessions :  "  The  examinations,  which  were 
unusually  thorough,  revealed  to  the  Board  the  very  gratifying 
fact  that  both  professors  and  students  have  applied  themselves 
with  increasing  diligence,  zest  and  success  to  their  respective 
work.  Our  committee  report  that  they  consider  it  the  best 
examination  it  has  ever  been  their  privilege  to  attend  in  the 
institution.  They  make  special  commendatory  m.ention  of  the 
written  examinations  in  theology  and  in  history-,  and  of  the 
enthusiasnTi  and  attainments  of  the  junior  class  in  the  Hebrew 
language,  under  the  tuition  of  Professor  Maimon.  Fortu- 
nately for  the  Seminary  he  was  employed  by  Professors  Patton 
and  Elliott,  with  the  consent  of  the  executive  committee,  to 
give  instruction  in  this  language."  "^ 

Another  extract  from  the  records  of  this  new  and  brighten- 
ing period  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  spirit  of  hope  and  enthu- 
siasm felt  alike  by  professors,  students  and  directors  during 
these  five  fruitful  years.  In  the  annual  report  made  by  the 
professors  to  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April,  1877,  they  say, 
among  other  encouraging  things  : 

"The  faculty  have  been  greatly  gratified  by  the  large 
increase  of  students.  It  is  a  much  larger  number  (nearly  fifty) 
than  has  ever  been  in  the  institution  at  any  former  time.  We 
would  record  the  fact,  with  grateful  acknowledgment  to  God, 
as  an  encouraging  token  of  the  divine  favor,  and  also  as  show- 
ing the  increasing  confidence  felt  by  the  Church  in  the  Semi- 
nary. The  young  men  who  are  now  with  us  have  come  from  a 
very  wide  region  of  the  country  and  from   an  unusually  large 

*  Minutes  of  General  Assembly  of  1S76,  p.  120. 


1876-1881.  Clf^NGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  3OI 

number  of  colleges  and  seminaries.  They  have  pursued  their 
studies  during  the  term  with  great  harmony  among  themselves 
and  with  the  evident  purpose  of  deriving  the  greatest  possible 
benefit  from  the  instruction  of  the  professors.  We  have  never 
had  a  session  in  which  the  internal  machinery  of  the  institution 
has  moved  on' with  so  little  jar  or  friction.  Though  the  num- 
ber has  been  large,  yet  the  matron  (Miss  Anne  Williamson) 
has  often  remarked  that  the  highest  decorum  has  always  pre- 
vailed and  the  session  has  been  unusually  pleasant  and  satisfac- 
tory. This  is  perhaps  in  part  due  to  the  superior  character  of 
the  students,  but  it  is  no  doubt  mainly  to  be  attributed  to  the 
deep  religious  and  spiritual  devotion  which  has  prevailed  from 
the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  session.  It  may  indeed  be 
characterized  as  the  year  of  revival  and  every  inmate  of  the 
Seminary  has  appeared  to  be  fully  under  its  influence." 

At  this  point  in  the  history  it  may  be  of  interest  to  speak 
more  definitely  of  the  social  and  religious  life  within  the  insti- 
tution which  had  been  developed  during  the  preceding  years. 
This  had  by  no  means  been  neglected  by  the  professors.  They 
had  all  been  Seminary  students  themselves  and  they  had  not 
forgotten  the  essential  conditions  of  a  happy  and  successful 
student  life  at  such  a  school.  From  the  first  in  all  their  inter- 
course Avith  the  student  body  they  made  it  a  point  of  duty  as 
well  as  of  pleasure  to  meet  the  young  men  committed  to  their 
charge  on  the  friendly  and  familiar  ground  of  personal  com- 
panionship. It  was  not  enough  to  meet  them  for  daily  study 
in  the  class  room,  but  the  professors  cordially  invited  every 
new  student  to  the  circle  of  their  own  families,  where  they  met 
other  guests  gathered  for  social  acquaintance  and  entertain- 
ment. Under  the  influence  of  this  friendly  intercourse 
between  the  students  and  the  professors  and  their  families, 
the  institution  soon  became  in  a  measure  the  center  of  an 
active  social  and  religious  life  which  contributed  not  a  little  to 
the  enjoyment  and  to  the  spiritual  growth  and  culture  of  the 
successive  bands  of  young  men  who  came  within  its  influence. 
Probably  every  young  man  who  had  a  home  in  the  Seminary 
during  those  earlier  days  and  responded  to  the  social  advan- 
tages offered  carried  away  with  him  at  the  end  of  his  three 


302  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

years  course  recollections  of  the  place  and  of  his  teachers  and 
fellow  students  which  would  stand  among  the  pleasantest  of 
his  life. 

Miss  Williamson,  the  excellent  lady  who  presided  over  the 
boarding  department  of  the  institution,  did  much  to  produce 
this  pleasant  social  condition  of  things  among  the  students. 
By  her  fine  administrative  ability  and  her  admirable  skill  in 
conducting  this  difficult  department  she  won  the  high  regard  of 
both  the  students  and  professors.  Not  only  did  every  student 
feel  that  he  had  access  to  the  families  of  the  professors  and  to 
the  frequent  social  entertainments  given  at  their  homes,  but  he 
also  felt  that  the  Seminary  household  itself  where  this  genial, 
obliging  and  kindly  Christian  woman  presided  was  like  a  pleasant 
family  to  him.  Her  influence  on  all  alike  was  that  of  a  friend 
and  sister.  In  sickness,  some  serious  cases  of  which  occurred, 
as  well  as  in  health,  things  moved  on  in  the  building  with  the 
precision  of  clock  work  and  no  student  was  ever  allowed  to 
feel  that  he  was  far  from  home  or  neglected. 

During  this  period  another  interesting  experience  of  life  at 
the  Seminary  was  witnessed  in  frequent  social  entertainments 
within  its  own  walls.  Upon  the  completion  in  1864  of  the  first 
building  erected  on  the  grounds,  the  institution  was  provided, 
in  its  recitation  rooms,  wide  corridors  and  large  dining  room, 
with  such  accommodations  and  facilities  for  public  social  gath- 
erings as  to  seem  to  invite  them.  These  entertainments  were 
sometimes  given  by  the  ladies  of  the  Presbyterian  churches  of 
the  city,  and  at  other  times  the  students  themselves  enter- 
tained their  friends  from  the  churches.  Some  of  these  occasions 
were  literary  in  their  character,  as  when  readings  were  given  by 
the  popular  and  gifted  teacher  of  elocution,  Professor  Cumnock, 
or  popular  lectures  were  delivered  by  different  members  of  the 
faculty.  Within  this  compact  little  community  of  a  score  or 
two  of  students  gathered  under  one  roof,  enjoying  such  privi- 
leges and  all  intent  on  the  great  purpose  which  had  called  them 
from  their  homes  for  a  three  years'  residence  in  the  Seminary, 
life  moved  on  very  smoothly.  It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that 
this  company  of  Christian  young  men  thus  gathered  for  theo- 
logical study  was  harmonious,  contented  and  happy  in  a  very 


1876-1881.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  303 

high  degree.  Such  was  the  experience  at  the  time  and  such 
has  been  the  subsequent  testimony  of  the  successive  classes  of 
young  ministers  who  found  a  congenial  home  in  the  Seminary 
under  these  favoring  circumstances.  Many  of  them  have  since 
told  us  of  those  happy  days.  The  professors  themselves  fur- 
nished an  example  of  perfect  unity  and  fraternity  in  all  their 
intercourse  one  with'  another,  whether  official  or  private.  No 
harsh  or  discordant  word  regarding*  each  other  ever  escaped 
their  lips  and  no  antagonistic  sentiment  or  doctrine  was  ever 
uttered  in  their  public  discussions. 

From  an  early  period  the  wives  of  the  professors,  with  ladies 
of  the  Fullerton  Avenue  church  and  of  other  Presbyterian 
churches  in  the  city,  established  the  custom  of  furnishing  at 
the  Seminary,  with  the  assistance  of  the  students  themselves, 
a  social  entertainment,  which  was  given  almost  every  session, 
and  sometimes  at  shorter  intervals,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
the  churches  of  the  city  acquainted  with  the  institution  and  at 
the  same  time  of  contributing  to  the  social  enjoyment  of  the 
students  in  their  own  home.  These  annual  or  occasional  eath- 
erings  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  friendly  intercourse 
between  the  students  and  these  churches,  as  well  as  to  that  social 
and  religious  life  which  prevailed  at  the  institution  and  helped 
in  some  degree  to  mould  the  pastoral  and  evangelical  character 
of  all  its  inmates.  Such  gatherings,  such  influences  and  such 
opportunities  for  social  and  spiritual  development  are  not  to  be 
neglected  or  lightly  esteemed  in  the  education  of  young  men 
training  for  the  ministry  of  Christ.  The  professor  of  Pastoral 
Theology  and  Homiletics  in  the  institution  always  ranked  them 
high  among  the  means  of  grace  and  in  this  judgment  he  was 
in  full  accord  with  the  views  of  all  his  colleagues.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  of  the  many  advantages  provided  for  the  stu- 
dents during  these  earlier  years  at  the  Seminary,  and  indeed  in 
all  subsequent  years,  none  have  been  remembered  with  greater 
interest  as  conducive  alike  to  their  profit  and  enjoyment  than 
these  social  gatherings  which  so  bound  teacher,  pupil  and  friend 
together  in  the  ties  of  a  common  brotherhood  in  Christ. 

One  occasion  of  this  kind  may  be  instanced  as  illustrating 
all  the  others.     It  is  that  which  occurred  in  the  session  of  1870- 


304  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

1 871,  following  the  reunion  of  the  Old  and  New  School 
branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  It  was  thought  by  the 
ladies  of  the  Seminary  and  other  influential  friends  who  felt  an 
interest  in  its  w^elfare  that  a  large  social  entertainment  should 
there  be  given  with  special  reference  to  this  auspicious  reunion. 
Accordingly  notice  was  sent  to  all  the  churches  of  the  city  of 
the  time  for  the  proposed  gathering.  The  inmates  of  the  Semi- 
nary took  pleasure  in  preparing  their  rooms  and  the  public  halls 
so  as  to  have  the  building  ready  for  the  visitors,  many  of  whom 
had  never  before  been  within  its  walls ;  and  the  ladies  in  charge 
from  the  several  churches  made  ample  preparation  in  the  way 
of  refreshments  for  the  occasion.  It  proved  to  be,  as  had  been 
expected,  a  great  success,  a  most  enjoyable  opportunity  for  the 
meeting  of  new  friends  and  the  reunion  of  old  ones.  It 
brought  professors,  students  and  many  of  the  leading  gentle- 
men and  ladies  of  the  city  into  the  most  agreeable  association 
as  contributors  to  a  common  cause  and  as  joint  owners  in  the 
same  educational  establishment.  The  entertainment  lasted 
through  the  afternoon  and  evening  of  the  day  on  which  it  was 
held,  and  during  all  the  hours  until  late  at  night  there  was  an 
unbroken  stream  of  arriving  and  departing  guests.  It  was 
estimated  that  between  four  and  five  hundred  visitors  were  in 
attendance  during  the  afternoon  and  evening,  many  of  whom 
gave  expression  to  their  great  satisfaction  in  having  the  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  Seminary  with  its  professors,  students  and 
friends  under  such  pleasant  circumstances.  Some  prominent 
gentlemen,  who  had  never  been  in  the  building  before,  remarked 
that  they  were  much  gratified  to  learn  for  the  first  time  that 
they  had  come  into  joint  possession  of  an  institution  so  vigor- 
ous, so  promising  and  so  successful. 

In  more  recent  years  another  social  occasion  has  been 
observed  with  much  interest  at  the  return  of  each  annual  ses- 
sion. Since  the  year  1880  the  students,  with  the  concurrence 
and  presence  of  the  faculty,  have  established  the  custom  of 
holding  a  social  meeting  in  the  Seminary,  on  an  evening  soon 
after  the  opening  of  the  term,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  wel- 
come to  the  incoming  members  of  the  junior  class.  This  is 
known  as  the  students'  reception  and   it  has  grown  into  an 


1876-1881.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  305 

occasion  of  special  interest  with  the  increasing  numbers  of  each 
new  class  during  the  last  ten  years.  At  this  meeting  the 
address  of  welcome  is  delivered  by  some  member  of  the  senior 
or  middle  class  selected  for  the  purpose,  and  to  this  an  address 
in  response  is  m'ade  by  a  member  of  the  new  class  chosen  by 
his  fellow  members.  Other  appropriate  exercises  follow  in 
order.  To  these  receptions  the  students  invite  the  professors 
and  their  families  and  also  the  young  ladies  of  their  acquaint- 
ance in  the  families  of  the  neighborhood.  They  are  always 
pleasant  and  enjoyable  occasions  and  contribute  largely  to  the 
social  element  of  Seminary  life. 

But,  notwithstanding  these  cheering  prospects  within  the 
walls  of  the  institution,  there  was  not  a  corresponding  advance 
in  its  financial  condition.  There  was  a  serious  falling  off  in  its 
pecuniary  resources.  The  necessary  annual  expenditure  was 
largely  in  advance  of  its  income.  A  large  arrearage  of  indebt- 
edness to  the  professors  had  already  accumulated  and  it  was 
growing  larger  every  year.  Heavy  taxes  and  large  special 
assessments  had  been  levied  on  the  property,  the  annual 
income  from  the  invested  funds  had  been  much  reduced  because 
of  the  lower  rates  of  interest,  some  of  the  funds  were  no  longer 
yielding  any  income  and  it  seemed  for  a  time  impossible  to 
raise  money  from  the  churches  for  current  expenses  or  to  add 
a  dollar  to  the  endowment.  The  laborious  solicitor,  Rev.  John 
M.  Faris,  who  was  through  these  years  the  financial  agent  of 
the  Seminary  and  who  had  hitherto  been  so  successful  in  his 
work,  now  found  it  impossible,  by  any  exertions  or  personal 
sacrifices  he  could  make,  to  supply  this  growing  deficiency  in 
the  income  or  to  reduce  this  heavy  indebtedness. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April, 
1879,  it  was  found  that  the  institution  was  in  arrears  to  Pro- 
fessor Patton  for  salary  $8,320,  to  the  three  other  endowed 
professors  $9,640,  to  the  agent  $1,655,  and,  besides  this,  owed 
$12,000  for  taxes  and  assessments  on  the  grounds  and  $2,000 
for  costs  and  other  expenses  on  the  consolidated  endowment 
fund,  making  an  aggregate  debt  of  $33,61 5.  It  was  evident  that 
a  crisis  had  come  in  its  financial  condition  which  it  was  difificult 
to    meet.     So    far   from  making  any  further   enlargement   or 


306  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

expansion  of  teaching  facilities,  it  became  manifest  that  the 
only  policy  left  was  to  curtail  expenses  to  the  lowest  point  pos- 
sible and  put  the  whole  administration  of  affairs  on  a  basis  of 
the  most  rigid  economy. 

This  policy  was  at  once  adopted  so  far  as  it  could  be  carried 
out.  The  Board,  by  its  committee,  conferred  with  the  three 
professors  whose  salaries  were  derived  from  the  much  reduced 
income  of  the  consolidated  endowment  fund.  The  professors 
agreed  that  their  salaries  should  be  reduced  to  an  amount 
which  could  be  paid  by  this  income,  which  would  be  to  each 
professor  about  §1,500  per  annum.  They  all  were  willing  to 
make  great  sacrifices  in  order  to  reduce  expenses  and  bring 
their  own  remuneration  within  the  income  of  the  funds,  for 
they  were  in  cordial  sympathy  with  the  highest  good  of  the 
institution  and  with  the  endeavors  of  the  Board  to  extri- 
cate it  from  the  existing  serious  embarrassments.  The 
Board,  at  this  meeting  in  April,  1879,  passed  a  resolution 
acknowledging  its  indebtedness  to  the  three  professors  for 
past  salaries  and  providing  for  the  payment  of  interest  at  six 
per  cent,  on  the  same  out  of  the  income  of  the  consolidated 
fund,  but  at  the  same  time  they  resolved  that  "  This  Board, 
with  only  the  present  assets,  cannot  afford  to  add  another 
dollar  to  the  indebtedness  already  incurred  to  the  three  pro- 
fessors." '■■ 

During  the  foregoing  year  a  committee  of  Presbyterian 
ladies  of  Chicago,  consisting  of  Mrs.  C.  B.  Nelson,  Mrs.  W.  C. 
Goudy,  Mrs.  Samuel  Howe,  Mrs.  L.  J.  Halsey  and  Mrs.  R.  W. 
Patterson,  had  been  engaged  for  some  time  in  doing  a  much- 
needed  work  for  the  Seminary.  The  furniture  and  bedding 
belonging  to  the  institution  had  worn  out  from  long  use  and 
the  library-room  needed  a  suitable  outfit.  These  ladies,  with 
the  aid  of  others,  raised  funds  and  refurnished  completely  the 
rooms  and  halls  of  the  old  building,  and  also  furnished  the 
library.  For  this  service  the  Board  in  1879  passed  the  follow- 
ing resolution :  ''  Resolved,  That  the  cordial  thanks  of  the 
Board  be  and  they  hereby  are  tendered  to  these  ladies  for  their 
efficient  voluntary  services  in  this  matter   and  also  to    other 

*  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  no. 


1876-1881.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  307 

ladies  and  friends  who  have  liberally  co-operated  with  them  in 
this  good  work." 

A  called  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  held  in  the 
Seminary  June  lOth,  1879,  to  take  under  consideration  a  com- 
munication from  Professor  Patton  tendering  to  the  Board  his 
resignation  of  the  chair  of  Theology  in  the  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  to  take  effect  April  ist,  1880.  Professor  Patton 
had  been  recently  elected,  by  the  Synod  of  the  English  Pres- 
byterian church,  to  the  chair  of  Apologetics  in  their  theological 
college  at  London,  and  this  call  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
accept.  The  Board  were  much  averse  to  releasing  Professor 
Patton  from  the  important  position  in  the  Seminary  which 
he  was  filling  to  their  entire  satisfaction,  and  felt  that  they 
could  not  give  him  up.  They  voted  at  once  to  very  re- 
spectfully and  yet  decidedly  decline  the  resignation,  and 
they  appointed  a  committee  to  confer  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject, to  see  if  some  way  could  not  be  found  by  which  he  could 
be  retained. 

This  committee,  after  a  long  interview  with  Professor 
Patton,  in  which  they  presented  their  reasons  for  asking  him 
to  withdraw  his  resignation  and  remain  in  his  position,  reported 
to  the  Board  that  he  had  expressed  a  willingness  to  take  into 
thoughtful  and  favorable  consideration  the  suggestions  of  the 
committee  and  to  communicate  his  final  determination  as  early 
as  possible.  They  also  recommended  the  two  following  resolu- 
tions, which  were  at  once  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Board  : 
'*  Resolved,  first,  that  we  agree  to  pay  Dr.  Patton,  on  or  before 
July  1st,  1879,  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  in  full  for  all 
claims  of  salary  from  the  Seminary  up  to  September  ist,  1879. 
Resolved,  second,  that  for  the  future  we  pledge  the  honor  of 
the  Board  to  pay  promptly  and  in  full  Dr.  Patton's  salary,  at 
the  rate  of  $4,500  per  annum,  and  also  to  maintain  the  endow- 
ment of  his  chair  at  the  full  sum  of  $50,000." 

In  order  to  carry  out  this  agreement  the  Board  appointed  a 
committee  consisting  of  Rev.  Willis  G.  Craig,  D.D.,  and  Rev. 
Josiah  Milligan,  two  of  its  own  members,  to  have  superintend- 
ence of  the  matter  of  raising  funds  for  the  Seminary,  with  full 
power  to  employ  such  person  or  persons  as  agents  as  they  might 


3o8  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

think  proper.*  The  committee,  thus  specially  appointed  to 
raise  funds  for  the  Seminary  and  open  the  way  for  Dr.  Patton's 
continuance  in  the  chair  of  Theology,  were  eminently  success- 
ful in  their  undertaking.  The  churches  of  Illinois  and  other 
states  responded  to  the  call  with  wonderful  alacrity.  It  was  a 
large  sum  that  had  to  be  raised,  but  the  agents  went  at  their 
work  with  enthusiasm  and  it  was  soon  secured.  By  the  loth 
of  July,  1879,  they  were  able  to  report  to  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Board  that,  as  the  result  of  their  efforts  and  those 
of  the  general  agent.  Rev.  J.  M.  Paris,  the  amount  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  to  meet  Dr.  Patton's  proposition  in  regard  to 
his  salary  to  September  1st,  1879,  ^^^^  been  secured  and  would 
be  paid  to  him.  They  also  reported  at  the  same  time  that  he 
had  declined  the  call  to  London  and  withdrawn  the  resignation 
of  his  professorship  in  the  Seminary.  The  executive  committee 
also  reported  to  the  Board  at  its  annual  meeting  in  April,  1880, 
that,  on  the  payment  of  this  sum  of  $10,000,  Dr.  Patton  had 
generously  relinquished  the  further  sum  of  $2,000  due  him 
from  the  Seminary,  that  it  might  go  as  a  contribution  to  the 
funds  of  the  institution,  f 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  in  April,  1880,  the  fol- 
lowing minute  was  adopted  in  relation  to  the  services  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Craig  and  Rev.  Mr.  Milligan  in  raising  the  money  which 
had  gone  to  the  payment  of  the  large  indebtedness  to  Dr. 
Patton : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Board  hereby  acknowledges,  with 
great  gratitude,  the  distinguished  services  to  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  special  committee  consisting  of  Rev.  Willis  G. 
Craig,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  Josiah  Milligan,  in  the  raising  of  so  large 
a  sum  of  money  towards  the  liquidation  of  the  embarrassing 
debts  which  threatened  the  prosperity  of  the  Seminary. 
Particularly  do  we  recognize  the  generosity  with  which  one 
of  the  committee  has  given  his  services  as  special  agent  at  a 
nominal  rate  of  compensation  and  the  other  member  has 
served  the  Board  entirely  gratuitously."  ;{: 

At  this  meeting  the  Board  was  informed  that  in  compliance 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  124,  129. 
t  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2.  p.  133. 
X  ?Iinules  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Vol.  2,  p.  14S. 


REV.  JOSIAH  MILLIGAN,  D.  D. 


1876-1S81.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  309 

with  their  request,  made  some  years  before,  the  Hon.  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick  had  presented  to  the  Seminary  his  portrait 
suitably  framed,  and  that  it  aheady  hung  in  the  parlor, 
Whereupon,  on  motion,  unanimously  adopted,  the  thanks  of 
the  Board  were  tendered  to  Mr.  McCormick.  Judge  Samuel 
M.  Moore  also  informed  the  Board  that  some  friends  had  made 
him  the  medium  of  presenting  to  the  Seminary  valuable  por- 
traits, suitably  framed,  of  President  Jonathan  Edwards  and  his 
wife.  The  valuable  gift  was  accepted  by  the  Board  and 
Judge  Moore  was  requested  to  communicate  their  thanks  to 
the  donors. 

During  the  preceding  year,  through  the  energetic  efforts  of 
the  general  agent,  Rev.  J.  M.  Paris,  and  the  special  exertions 
of  Dr.  Craig  and  Mr.  Milligan,  the  financial  condition  of  the 
Seminary  had  been  greatly  improved.  Of  the  $10,000  raised 
for  Dr.  Patton's  arrearage,  Mr.  McCormick  had  given  $5,000, 
and  to  aid  in  paying  the  other  professors  he  had  contributed 
$4,000.  The  debt  for  taxes  and  assessments  on  the  property 
was  provided  for  and  that  to  the  agent  had  also  been 
liquidated.  In  their  report  to  the  Board  in  April,  1880,  the 
special  committee  say,  in  a  tone  of  grateful  praise  to  a  kind 
providence:  ''The  serious  indebtedness  which  pressed  so 
heavily  on  the  Board  at  its  last  meeting  when  your  special 
committee  was  appointed  has  been  reduced  from  $30,000  to 
less  than  $3,000,  to  liquidate  which  balance  on  the  land  a  large 
part  of  the  money  is  within  reach."  "^ 

But  these  brightening  prospects  were  speedily  clouded  over 
again  by  another  letter  of  resignation  from  Professor  Patton. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Board,  called  for  the  purpose,  November 
9th,  1880,  a  communication  was  received  from  him  under  date 
of  September  22d,  1880,  informing  the  Board  that  he  had  been 
elected  by  the  directors  of  the  Princeton  Theological  Seminary 
to  the  R.  L.  Stuart  professorship  of  the  Relations  of  Philoso- 
phy and  Science  to  the  Christian  Religion  in  that  institution; 
and  that,  after  giving  the  whole  matter  the  fullest  considera- 
tion, he  had  concluded  to  accept  the  appointment  and  there- 
fore placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Board  his  resignation  of  the 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  160,  163. 


3IO  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  in  the  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest,  with  the  request  that  the  same  should 
take  effect  on  the  1st  day  of  May,  1881.  The  Board  of 
Directors  felt  that  Dr.  Patton's  retirement  from  the  Seminary 
at  this  juncture  would  be  a  serious  loss  to  it  and  they  were 
extremely  reluctant  to  accept  his  resignation.  They  at  once 
passed  a  resolution  unanimously  and  urgently  asking  him 
to  withdraw^  it  and  appointing  a  committee  of  conference  to 
lay  before  him  the  reasons  why  he  should  remain  where  he 
was.  This  committee  consisted  of  the  Hon.  J.  L.  Williams, 
president  of  the  Board,  Rev.  Willis  G.  Craig,  D.D.,  Rev.  W. 
W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  Rev.  A.  T.  Pierson,  D.D.,  Rev.  Josiah  Milli- 
gan,  Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore,  Hon.  John  Coats  and  Thomas 
M.  Sinclair,  Esq. 

After  full  conference  between  Dr.  Patton  and  this  able  com- 
mittee, in  w^hich  they  presented  the  strong  claims  of  the  Semi- 
nary and  its  widening  field  of  usefulness  as  arguments  which 
should  weigh  against  his  leaving  the  institution  at  this  time, 
and  after  proposing  to  send  a  delegation  of  their  number  to 
Princeton,  in  order  to  remove  any  difficulties  in  Dr.  Patton's 
mind  in  relation  to  his  obligations  in  that  quarter,  the  matter 
was  left  by  the  committee  with  Dr.  Patton  for  his  final  decision  to 
be  communicated  to  the  Board  at  an  early  day.  The  question 
of  duty  was  one  of  much  perplexity,  as  expressed  by  Dr. 
Patton  in  one  of  his  letters  to  the  president  of  the  Board,  under 
date  of  November  24,  1880,  in  which  he  speaks  feelingly  of 
his  "  sincere  desire  to  do  only  what  will  best  promote  God's 
glory  "  and  of  his  "  entire  readiness  to  stay  here  or  go  to 
Princeton,  as  may  seem  best  at  last." 

After  as  little  delay  as  was  possible  when  so  grave  and  per- 
plexing an  issue  of  personal  duty  was  concerned,  Dr.  Patton 
communicated  his  final  determination  in  the  following  letter  to 
the  president  of  the  Board,  which  was  laid  before  the  body  at 
a  special  meeting  held  on  February  8,  1881  : 

Chicago,  17th  Dec,  1880. 
''The  Hon.  J.  L.  Williams. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  was  requested  by  the  Board  at  its  late 
meeting  to  give  my  final  answer  respecting  my  letter  of  resig- 


1876-1881.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  311 

nation,  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Board,  to  yourself,  the  presi- 
dent. I  write  now  to  say  that,  after  giving  the  whole  subject 
the  fullest  and  calmest  consideration  and  particularly  after 
weighing  carefully  the  arguments  that  were  so  forcibly  urged  in 
favor  of  my  remaining  here,  I  am  nevertheless  of  the  opinion 
that  I  ought  to  go  to  Princeton  ;  and  my  conviction  upon  the 
point  is  now  so  settled  that  I  have  said  to  the  committee 
here,  or  rather  to  Judge  Moore,  a  member  of  the  sub-com- 
mittee, that  I  am  quite  prepared  to  take  the  full  responsibility 
of  a  decision  and  that  I  do  not  think  any  advantage  would 
attend  the  visit  of  a  committee  to  Princeton.  I  beg  you 
therefore  to  regard  my  resignation  as  virtually  accepted  and 
that  you  will  not  think  that  I  am  acting  without  regard  to  the 
strictest  proprieties,  if,  in  order  that  no  further  delay  may  be 
occasioned,  I  signify  my  acceptance  of  the  Princeton  call  to  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge. 

I  am,  my  dear  sir.  Truly  yours, 

Francis  L.  Patton."  ^ 

Dr.  Patton  continued  his  instruction  in  the  Seminary  until 
the  close  of  the  session,  April  i,  1881,  when  his  connection 
with  it  ceased.  In  September  of  the  same  year,  Dr.  Robert 
W.  Patterson  resigned  his  professorship  in  the  Seminary,  which 
was  the  chair  of  Christian  Evidences  and  Ethics.  He  had 
occupied  the  chair  for  seven  years  and  rendered  valuable  ser- 
vice while  he  held  it,  but,  the  chair  being  unendowed  and  the 
period  having  expired  for  which  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church  of  Chicago,  his  former  charge,  had  assumed  the  pay- 
ment of  its  salary,  the  connection  ceased. 

The  history  of  the  Seminary  has  now  reached  a  date,  after 
a  period  of  twenty-two  years  at  Chicago,  when  there  occurred 
almost  an  entire  change  in  the  faculty  of  instruction.  Besides 
the  two  resignations  already  mentioned,  three  others  were 
offered  to  the  Board  of  Directors  about  this  time,  as  the  result 
of  the  action  taken  by  the  Board  at  its  annual  meeting  in 
April,  1880.  At  that  meeting,  after  an  interlocutory  session, 
the  Board  adopted  the  following  minute : 

"  Resolved,  That  the   present    financial    condition    of    this 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  167-185. 


312  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK   SEMINARY. 

Seminary  seems  to  demand  that  the  three  chairs  which  derive 
their  support  from  the  consoHdated  endowment  be  vacated  by 
the  resignation  of  their  incumbents,  in  order  to  a  reorganiza- 
tion and  readjustment  of  those  departments  of  instruction 
which  are  connected  with  said  endowment.  And  the  Board 
therefore  request  that  those  chairs  be  vacated  by  the  resigna- 
tion of  those  three  professors,  such  resignation  to  take  effect 
not  later  than  April  i,  i88i." 

Under  this  action  the  professors  holding  the  chairs  in  ques- 
tion, each  of  whom  had  been  appointed  to  his  chair  by  the 
General  Assembly,  Drs.  Leroy  J.  Halsey,  Charles  Elliott,  and 
William  M.  Blackburn,  responded  to  the  wishes  of  the  Board  and 
sent  in  their  resignations  during  the  time  specified.  Dr.  Halsey's 
letter  addressed  to  Judge  Moore  was  in  the  words  following: 

"  Chicago,  October  1st,  i88o. 
Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore, 

Dear  Sir : — In  compliance  with  a  resolution  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  at 
its  last  annual  meeting,  requesting  the  vacating  of  three  chairs 
in  the  Seminary  on  account  of  financial  embarrassments,  I 
hereby  tender  to  the  Board,  through  you,  my  resignation  of  the 
professorship  of  Historical  and  Pastoral  Theology  and  Church 
Government,  to  which  I  was  appointed  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  our  Church  in  1859,  ^^^^  resignation  to  take  effect, 
as  asked  by  the  Board,  the  first  of  April  next. 

"  After  so  many  years  spent  in  the  congenial  and  much 
loved  labor  of  this  professorship,  I  had  hoped  it  might  be  the 
will  of  God  to  continue  me  in  it  till  the  close  of  life,  and  that 
I  might  die,  as  the  venerable  Dr.  Alexander  expressed  it, 
*  with  the  harness  on.'  While,  therefore,  deeply  regretting  the 
necessity  which  seems  now  to  require  a  dissolution  of  the 
pleasant  relation  in  which  I  have  so  long  stood,  I  shall  not 
cease  to  feel  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
an  institution  to  wiiich  my  whole  heart  and  a  large  part  of  my 
working  life  have  been  devoted.  Ever  praying  for  its  pros- 
perity and  never  despairing  of  its  success,  even  in  '  the  day  of 
small  things,'   I  am 

Respectfully  and  truly  yours,  L.  J.  Halsey." 


1876-1881.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  313 

The  letter  of   resignation   of  Dr.   Elliott   was  sent   to   the 
Board  a  few  months  later,  and  is  as  follows : 
"  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary,  Chicago,  Feb'y  7,  1881. 
To  the  Reverend,  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Presbyterian 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest : 

In  compliance  with  the  request  of  your  reverend  body,  I 
resign  the  chair  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis,  to  which  I 
was  elected  by  the  General  Assembly  in  session  at  Peoria,  Illi- 
nois, in  1863.  Permit  me  to  add  that,  prior  to  the  request 
of  your  reverend  body,  I  had  resolved  to  resign  my  chair  at  no 
distant  future.  It  is  on  record  in  the  minutes  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  1871,  p.  62y,  that  your  reverend  body  recom- 
mended the  division  of  my  chair  into  two,  viz.:  one  of  Old 
Testament  Literature  and  one  of  New  Testament  Literature. 
The  General  Assembly  approved  the  recommendation.  Assem- 
bly Minutes,  p.  685.  In  all  seminaries  fully  manned,  such  a 
division  exists  and  in  some  there  is,  in  addition  to  the  two 
chairs,  a  tutor  in  Hebrew.  In  the  present  state  of  Biblical 
Literature  one  man  is  utterly  inadequate  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  both  chairs.  It  was  for  this  reason,  and  not  on  the 
ground  of  the  double  labor  involved,  that  I  had  determined  to 
resign.  I  felt  that  I  could  not  do  justice  to  both  departments 
of  Biblical  study,  and  that  the  Seminary  must  suffer  damage 
as  long  as  they  remained  united. 

''  Inasmuch  as  I  have  been  informed  that  my  letter, 
addressed  to  your  reverend  body  at  its  last  meeting  (I  did  not 
keep  a  copy  and  cannot  recall  the  date)  has  been  construed, 
contrary  to  any  intention  on  my  part,  as  in  some  way  reflect- 
ing on  the  action  of  your  reverend  body  and  also  as  reflecting 
on  the  professor  of  Theology,  which  was  very  far  from  my 
mind,  I  hereby  beg  permission  to  withdraw  cheerfully  said 
letter,  at  the  same  time  reserving  to  myself  the  right  of  making 
such  statements  to  the  General  Assembly  as  my  views  of  pro- 
priety may  justify.  The  statements  will  be  submitted  to  your 
reverend  body  at  the  close  of  the  term. 
With  sentiments  of  the  highest  regard, 

Yours, 

Charles  Elliott." 


314  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

Dr.  Blackburn's  resignation  was  conveyed  to  the  Board 
a  little  later  in  the  words  following  : 

''April  I,  1881. 
"  To  the  Reverend,  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  PresbyVerian 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  : 

Dear  Sir3 : — In  compliance  with  the  action  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  one  year  ago  this  day,  with  reference  to  the  vaca- 
tion of  the  chair  occupied  by  me,  I  hereby  respectfully  tender 
my  resignation  of  the  professorship  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesi- 
astical History  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest.  In  terminating  thirteen  years  of  professional 
labor  in  this  institution,  I  beg  leave  to  express  my  grateful 
recognition  of  all  favors  conferred  upon  me  by  the  Board  of 
Directors. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

William  M.  Blackburn."* 

Of  the  five  professors  then  resigning,  Dr.  Halsey  was  the 
only  one  who  had  been  connected  with  the  Seminary  through 
the  whole  period  since  1859.  ^'^^^  twenty-two  years  he  had 
acted  as  secretary  of  the  faculty  and  had  not  failed  to  present 
each  annual  report  to  the  Board  and  to  bear  a  part  in  each 
annual  examination  of  the  students.  Dr.  Elliott  had  been  a 
professor  since  1863,  eighteen  years;  Dr.  Blackburn  since 
1868,  thirteen  years;  Dr.  Patton  since  1872,  nine  years,  and 
Dr.  Patterson  since  1874,  seven  years.  It  seemed  indeed  a  sad 
turn  of  affairs,  unexpected  and,  perhaps,  unavoidable  under 
the  peculiar  embarrassments  of  the  Seminary,  which  required 
that  these  earnest,  experienced  and  indefatigable  teachers,  who 
all  appreciated  so  greatly  the  work  to  which  they  had  here 
been  called  and  who  had  thus  far  been  so  pleasantly  associated 
in  devotion  to  a  common  cause,  should  now  retire  from  their 
loved  occupation  and  seek  employment  in  other  fields.  The 
change,  however,  was  gradually  made.  The  five  professors  all 
continued  faithfully  at  their  posts  through  the  entire  session  of 
1 880-1 88 1,  keeping  the  Seminary  classes  well  at  work  in  all  the 
departments  and  closing  with  the  usual  examinations  before 
the  Board  in  April,   1881.     The  whole   number   of   students 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  170,  1S3,  191. 


1876-1881.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  315 

in  attendance  was  twenty-three,  ten  of  whom  received  the  cer- 
tificate of  graduation.  The  contemplated  changes  in  the 
faculty  caused  no  break  or  suspension  in  the  regular  studies  of 
the  Seminary  course. 

The  three  professors  who  had  been  longest  in  the  service  of 
the  Seminary  had  not  been  consulted  beforehand  as  to  the 
nece-sity  of  making  this  change  and  knew  not  that  it  was  in 
contemplation  until  the  action  was  taken.  The  measure  was 
to  them  a  painful  surprise,  as  well  as  a  disappointment,  as 
regarded  their  personal  relations  to  the  Seminary.  Having 
spent  so  many  years  in  connection  with  the  institution  during 
its  days  of  trial,  it  was  natural  that  they  should  wish  to  go  on 
with  the  work  until  full  success  was  assured.  In  the  case  of 
Dr.  Halsey,  w^ho  had  been  longest  in  the  service,  the  desire 
was  gratified.  In  the  reconstruction  of  chairs  which  soon 
followed,  his  former  chair  was  divided  and  he  was  made  pro- 
fessor emeritus  and  placed  in  charge  of  one  of  the  divisions  of 
his  old  department. 

His  two  colleagues,  Drs.  Elliott  and  Blackburn,  were  soon 
called  elsewhere  to  useful  and  honorable  positions  in  the  Church. 
Dr.  Elliott  was  appointed  professor  of  Hebrew  in  his  alma 
mater,  Lafayette  College,  Pa.,  and  Dr.  Blackburn  accepted  the 
presidency  of  the  Presbyterian  college  at  Pierre,  Dakota.  At 
the  time  of  their  election  to  the  Seminary  chairs  and  during 
their  continuance  in  them,  they  had  both  won  a  wide  repu- 
tation for  ability  and  learning  in  their  respective  departments. 
They  were  patient,  laborious  and  indefatigable  in  the  work 
of  teaching  and  long  experience  had  made  them  successful  in 
it.  In  the  judgment  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  as  attested  by 
its  annual  committees  of  examination,  and  in  the  judgment  of 
their  colleagues  of  the  faculty,  they  rendered  a  valuable 
service  to  the  Seminary  as  long  as  they  were  connected  with 
it.  The  author,  who  was  so  long  associated  with  them  in 
work  and  friendly  intercourse,  esteems  it  a  pleasure,  as  well  as 
an  act  of  simple  justice,  to  render  this  tribute  to  the  character 
and  services  of  the  two  faithful  men  who,  with 'himself,  so 
long  bore  under  many  discouragements  the  heat  and  burden 
of  the  day  of  small  things  in  the  history  of  the  Seminary. 


3i6  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

The  work  they  accompHshed  was  not  without  its  deep  and 
lasting  influence  on  the  character  of  the  institution.  The  suc- 
cessive classes  of  students  who,  from  year  to  year,  enjoyed 
their  accurate  and  fruitful  instructions  in  preparation  for  the 
ministry  are  now  successful  workers  over  a  wide  field.  Nor  do 
they  forget  the  zealous  endeavor  and  the  scholarly  enthusiasm 
of  tliese  honored  and  loved  instructors. 

To  these  resignations  in  the  faculty  may  be  added  another 
which  was  offered  to  the  Board  about  the  same  time.  It  is  that 
of  the  financial  agent  of  the  Seminary,  Rev.  John  M.  Faris, 
who  had  held  this  responsible  and  laborious  office  since  1873, 
during  a  period  of  much  depression  and  embarrassment.  He 
felt  constrained  by  the  difficulty  of  raising  the  funds  needed  by 
the  Seminary  to  retire  from  the  work  and  therefore  tendered 
his  resignation  in  April,  1880.  The  Board  accepted  his  resig- 
nation and  adopted  the  following  minute,  expressive  of  their 
sentiments  on  the  occasion  : 

"  In  accepting  the  resignation  of  Rev.  John  M.  Faris  as  gen- 
eral agent  of  the  Seminary,  the  Board  desires  to  record  its 
appreciation  of  his  patient,  faithful,  tireless,  sacrificing  labors 
in  the  financial  administration  of  the  institution.  No  man  has 
performed  more  effective  service  for  the  Seminary  at  a  greater 
cost  of  time  and  strength  and  with  larger  personal  self-denial. 
He  has  discharged  his  duties  with  exceptional  carefulness,  sys- 
tem, fidelity  to  details  and  conscientiousness  and  the  debt 
owed  to  his  efforts  by  the  Seminary  cannot  be  paid  by  the 
most  ample  acknowledgment."* 

On  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Faris  from  his  agency,  the  Board, 
at  the  annual  meeting  in  April,  1880,  appointed  the  Rev. 
Josiah  Milligan  to  act  as  agent  of  the  Seminary.  Mr.  Milligan 
during  the  preceding  year  had  been  associated  with  Dr.  Craig 
in  a  special  and  most  successful  agency  for  raising  funds,  and 
upon  the  discharge  of  that  committee  he  was  now  entrusted 
with  the  whole  work  as  financial  and  general  agent.  In  this 
position  he  continued  during  the  two  years  following,  f 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  153. 
t  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2.  p.  148. 


HON.  SAMUEL  M.  MOORE,  LL.  D. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

MR.  Mccormick  and  the  endowment  fund. 

1880-1881. 


Mr.  McCormick  a  Member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  His  Relation  to- 
the  Board  of  Directors.  Made  an  Honorary  Member  of  the  Directory. 
Three  Other  Honorary  Directors  Elected.  Deep  Interest  of  Mr.  McCormick 
in  the  Seminary.  His  Encouraging  Letter  to  Judge  Moore.  His  Position  as 
to  the  Seminary.  Offers  a  Large  Increase  of  .Endowment.  A  Second  Letter. 
Action  of  the  Board  on  his  Proposal.  Amount  of  his  Donations.  The 
Patron  of  the  Seminary.  Scholarship  of  Thomas  A.  Gait.  The  Catherine 
Gait  Fund.  Embellishment  of  the  Grounds.  Death  of  Rev.  Fieldmg  N. 
Ewing.  Tribute  of  the  Board  to  his  Character  and  Services.  Death  of 
Thomas  M.  Sinclair.  Resolutions  in  Reference  Thereto.  Death  of  William 
G.  Holmes.  His  Life  and  Character,  Services  to  the  Seminary.  Death 
of  Warren  Norton.  His  Useful  Life.  Death  of  Dr.  Elliott.  His  Ability 
and  Character.  Professor  in  the  Seminary  Eighteen  Years.  Professor  in 
Lafayette  College.  His  Published  Works.  His  Nativity.  Education  and 
Family. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  the  Board  of  Directors  chosen 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  1859,  when  they  met  in  Chicago 
for  the  first  time  on  May  28th  of  that  year  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  as  a  Board  and  preparing  for  the  opening  of  the 
Seminary,  elected  three  new  members  on  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, one  of  whom  was  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  the  liberal 
founder  of  the  endowment  fund.  It  seemed  natural  and  right 
that  one  who  had  just  contributed  a  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to  the  institution  should  be  given  a  place  among  its  responsible 
and  honored  trustees.  Mr.  McCormick  continued  to  hold  this 
position  from  term  to  term,  through  all  the  period  from  1859 
down  to  the  point  of  time  which  has  now  been  reached  in  this 
history,  the  year  1880. 

But  at  this  important  and  critical  juncture  of  the.  Seminary 

317 


3i8  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

administration,  it  seemed  desirable  that  Mr.  McCormick  should 
stand  in  a  more  intimate  relation  to  the  institution  and  to  its 
directory  than  he  had  hitherto  borne.  He  had  already  at  dif- 
ferent times,  in  1870  and  in  1875,  added  largely  to  his  original 
donation  of  1859,  ^^^  ^^  ^^"^^  ^^^^  become  apparent  that  the 
institution  could  not  be  carried  to  an  early  and  complete 
success  without  further  endowments  from  his  liberal  hand. 
The  directory,  in  grateful  appreciation  of  his  past  services, 
desired  his  presence  and  his  encouraging  voice  in  its  annual 
councils.  Prompted  by  considerations  of  this  kind,  the  Board 
of  Directors,  at  their  annual  meeting  of  April  i,  1880,  adopted 
the  following  amendment  to  the  second  article  in  the  con- 
stitution, subject  to  the  approval  of  the  General  Assembly, 
namely : 

*'  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  also  have  power,  at  their 
discretion,  annually  to  elect  not  to  exceed  four  honorary 
directors.  Said  honorary  members  shall  continue  in  office 
for  the  same  term  as  other  directors,  and  shall  be  entitled 
to  and  expected  to  exercise  all  the  privileges  of  directors 
except  voting.  Said  honorary  members  shall  be  authorized 
representatives  of  the  Board  and  of  the  interests  of  the 
Seminary  in  their  respective  places  of  residence  and  fields  of 
labor."  ■" 

Anticipating  approval  of  this  amendment  by  the  General 
Assembly,  the  Board  proceeded  at  once  to  elect  as  an  honorary 
director  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  for  the  term  of  four  years 
ending  April  1st,  1884.  Mr.  McCormick  was  present  at  this 
meeting  and  at  once  took  his  seat  as  an  honorary  member.  A 
little  later,  at  the  same  meeting,  the  Board  elected  three  other 
gentlemen  to  the  same  position,  namely :  Rev.  George  L. 
Spining,  D.D.,  of  Kalamazoo,  Michigan;  Rev.  Robert  Sam- 
ple, D.D.,  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  and  Hon.  H.  C.  Clark, 
of  Bellevue,  Nebraska.  When  the  General  Assembly  met  in 
May,  1880,  it  ratified  this  amendment  to  the  constitution  of 
the  Seminary,  confirmed  these  elections  and  "  cordially  com- 
mended this  Seminary  to  the  approbation  and  fostering  care 
of  the  churches  of  the  Northwest,  as  not  only  their  peculiar 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  145, 146. 


l88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  319 

institution  but  also  as  promising  great  and  increased  usefulness 
in  this  broad  and  growing  region."  * 

In  the  summer  of  1880  Mr.  McCormick  was  absent  from 
Chicago,  with  his  family,  at  Richfield  Springs,  New  York, 
whither  they  had  gone  for  health  and  recreation.  But  he  felt 
a  deep  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary,  which  still 
was  in  much  need  of  funds,  both  for  its  current  expenses  and 
for  the  fuller  endowment  of  its  professorships.  ^  The  Board  of 
Directors  had  decided  that  there  should  be  a  reconstruction  of 
the  chairs  and  it  was  as  yet  uncertain  whether  Dr.  Patton 
could  be  retained,  although  he  occupied  the  only  one  of  the 
chairs  which  had  been  fully  endowed.  While  these  changes 
were  in  contemplation  and  there  seemed  to  be  no  little  uncer- 
tainty as  to  the  future  of  the  Seminary,  the  following  impor- 
tant communication  from  Mr.  McCormick  was  received  by 
Judge  Moore,  an  influential  member  of  the  Board  and  the 
chairman  of  its  executive  committee.  The  letter  is  full  of 
strong  encouragement  and  shows  an  unabated  interest  in  the 
institution  for  which  he  had  already  done  so  much.  It  well 
illustrates  the  strength  of  his  abiding  purpose  to  go  on  with 
the  work  he  had  begun,  even  under  the  most  unfavorable  cir- 
cumstances.    It  is  as  follows: 

^'Richfield  Springs,  N.  Y.,  August  28,  1880. 
Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore. 

My  Dear  Sir:  I  answer  your  letter  of  23d  as  soon  as  I  can, 
and  I  trust  in  full  time  to  suit  the  committee  that  goes  East. 
First,  I  expect  to  make  good  any  promises  I  have  made  in 
the  true  interest  of  the  same.  I  trust  you  and  all  concerned 
will  so  understand.  Second,  the  Seminary  must  be  tided  over 
from  this  time  to  1888.  If  others  stand  back  and  refuse  to  aid 
I  cannot  afford  to  see  all  our  past  labor  lost.  The  thing  must 
be  done.  Third,  I  of  course  am  bound,  and  am  pleased  to  be 
bound,  to  see  that  Dr.  Patton  has  his  $4,500  a  year,  until 
1888,  as  stated  in  my  two  letters,  of  August  7th  and  the  pre- 
vious one  accepted  in  yours  now  before  me.  Fourth,  I  am 
bound  for  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the  Seminary  agreeably  to 
my  offer,  as    I    believe   I   stated  to  you  and    also    published. 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1880,  pp.  59, 177. 


320  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Fifth,  so  soon  as  the  churches  shall  have  given  fifty  thousand 
I  will  add  five  thousand  dollars  for  every  five  thousand  over 
the  fifty  thousand  thus  raised,  until  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  shall  have  been  raised,  one  half  of  which  shall 
then  have  been  raised  from  the  other  friends  of  the  Seminary 
and  one  half  from  myself.  Sixth,  in  this  matter  I  greatly 
desire  prompt  and  hearty  action  and  cheerful  concurrence  of 
all,  such  as  are.  expressed  by  Dr.  Johnson.  Let  not  a  word  of 
discouragement  be  uttered  by  any  one.  Let  not  the  enthusi- 
asm of  Dr.  Johnson  be  dampened.  The  thing  can  be  done, 
soon,  pleasantly  and  to  the  joy  of  us  all,  if  all  will  now  unite 
in  a  vigorous  and  determined  effort,  going  to  work  without 
objections  and  with  a  good  will.  I  hope  all  this  may  be  found 
plain,  and  will  need  no  explanation.  I  may  add  that  I  highly 
approve  of  sending  a  committee  to  the  East. 
Very  truly  yours, 

C.  H.  McCormick."^ 

This  emphatic  and  hopeful  letter  clearly  defined,  the  posi- 
tion which  Mr.  McCormick  had  always  held  regarding  the 
endowment  of  the  Seminary.  It  was  the  position  of  co-oper- 
ation and  united  action.  He  had  not  from  the  first  expected 
to  carry  the  whole  burden  of  the  endowment.  But  he  was 
willing  to  bear  his  own  share,  and  even  more  than  half  the 
burden,  if  the  Church  at  large,  or  the  other  friends  of  the 
institution,  would  contribute  according  to  the  measure  of  their 
ability.  Nothing  pleased  him  better  than  to  give  freely  to  the 
common  cause  provided  others  would  do  the  same.  And  there 
had  already  been  a  strong  effort  made  in  1879,  before  Mr. 
Paris  resigned  his  agency,  to  get  the  churches  to  respond  to 
this  feeling  of  Mr.  McCormick  that  the  Church  at  large  should 
contribute  more  freely  to  this  important  school  than  it  had 
hitherto  done.  His  letter  expresses  his  abiding  purpose  that 
the  Seminary  shall  not  fail  for  lack  of  funds,  but,  at  the  same 
time,  his  strong  desire  that  all  its  friends  should  lend  a  liberal 
helping  hand. 

This  letter  was  followed  by  another  of  like  spirit  in  Novem- 
ber.    The  Board  of  Directors  met  by  a  special  call,  on  the  9th 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  171. 


l88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  321 

of  November,  to  consider  the  resignation  of  Professor  Patton, 
and  adjourned  to  the  23d  of  the  same  month.  At  this 
adjourned  meeting  the  following  communication  was  received 
from  Mr.  McCormick,  who  had  now  returned  to  Chicago: 

"  Chicago,  November  23,  1880. 
To  the  Hon.  J.  L.  Williams, 

President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  to  say  to  you,  and  through  you  to  the 
Board,  that  in  view  of  the  prevailing  feeling  as  to  the  weight 
of  responsibilities  resting  at  present  upon  this  Seminary,  I 
have  determined  to  add  to  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  proposed 
by  me  in  the  correspondence  between  Judge  Moore  and  myself 
(which  correspondence  is  now  in  your  possession),  to  be  given 
to  and  for  the  benefit  of  said  Seminary  as  proposed  in  said 
correspondence,  the  further  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars ($25,000).  Respectfully, 

C.  H.  McCormick."  ^ 

After  the  reading  of  the  foregoing  communications,  a  com- 
mittee was'appointed  to  draft  a  suitable  minute  expressive  of 
the  views  of  the  Board  on  receiving  Mr.  McCormick's  offer. 
Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  chairman  of  this  committee,  pre- 
sented the  following  paper,  which  was  adopted  : 

*'The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological  Semmary  of 
the  Northwest  receive  with  very  great  satisfaction  the  an- 
nouncement that  the  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  now  offers 
unconditionally  the  liberal  sum  of  seventy-five  thousand  dol- 
lars to  increase  the  endowment  funds  of  the  Seminary.  With 
pleasure  the  Board  here  note  the  fact  that  this  donation  of  Mr. 
McCormick  makes  his  contribution  to  the  endowment  of  the 
institution  aggregate  the  munificent  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-five  thousand  dollars.  Besides,  he  has  generously  given 
ten  thousand  dollars  for  immediate  expenditure,  to-wit:  five 
thousand  in  1 875-1 876  towards  the  erection  of  the  chapel  and 
five  thousand  in  1880  towards  assessments  and  indebtedness  to 
the  professors. 

"The  Board  desires  to  record  its  profound  gratitude  to  the 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  172. 


322  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Head  of  the  Church  for  giving  to  this  generous  patron  the  dis- 
position as  well  as  the  means  to  thus  equip  and  maintain  this 
important  Theological  School  out  of  his  deep  unselfish  love  for 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  prays  that  his  days  may  be  pro- 
longed that  he  may  witness  abundant  fruit  as  the  result  of  his 
large-hearted  benefactions.  The  Board  further  hopes  that  this 
noble  example  may  not  fail  to  exert  a  salutary  influence  upon 
the  Church,  stimulating  others  to  a  like  generosity  in  propor- 
tion to  the  means  God  has  given  them. 

"  Resolved,  that  the  hearty  thanks  of  this  Board  be  and 
they  hereby  are  tendered  to  the  Honorable  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  for  his  princely  liberality  towards  the  Seminary, 
and  that  the  secretary  be  directed  to  present  him  a  copy  of  this 
entire  minute  duly  authenticated."  ^ 

Rev.  Josiah  Milligan  then  offered  the  following  paper,  which 
was  also  adopted: 

"  Whereas,  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  has  shown  his  abid- 
ing interest  in  our  Theological  Seminary  by  his  present 
princely  gift  of  $75,000,  and  whereas  he  has  pledged  himself 
in  certain  contingencies  to  duplicate  every  $5,000  raised  from 
other*  sources,  and  whereas  it  is  the  judgment  of  this  Board 
that  we  shall  need,  in  the  next  few  years,  the  sum  of  $200,000 
to  endow  professorships,  found  scholarships,  erect  buildings 
and  pay  contingent  expenses;  Therefore,  resolved,  that  the 
Board  make  an  honest,  urgent  and  persevering  effort  to  raise, 
within  the  present  Seminary  year,  the  sum  of  at  least  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars."  f 

On  motion  of  Rev.  Arthur  T.  Pierson,  it  was  also  "  Re- 
solved, that  the  secretary  be  directed  to  have  the  paper 
adopted  by  the  Board,  in  reference  to  Mr.  McCormick's  gift  of 
seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  neatly  engraved  and  framed 
before  presenting  it  to  him." 

Stimulated  and  encouraged  by  Mr.  McCormick's  liberal 
hand,  the  Board  of  Directors,  as  shown  in  the  foregoing 
action,  undertook  to  raise  the  large  additional  sum  of  one 
hundred  thousand   dollars,   aside   from   his  gifts,   in   order  to 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  175.  * 

t  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  176. 


i88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  323 

carry  out  what  seemed  to  be  the  much  needed  enlargement  of 
the  institution.  The  time  really  seemed  to  have  come  for  this 
wider  and  larger  development.  With  such  a  tried  and  substan- 
tial donor  as  Mr.  McCormick  endorsing  the  scheme  and 
pioneering  the  effort,  it  would  appear  as  if  the  cause  of  the 
Seminary  should  now  no  longer  lack  the  sympathies  and  the 
helping  hands  of  the  whole  Church  of  the  Northwest. 

To  a  limited  extent  the  Seminary  had  enjoyed  the  sym- 
pathies and  liberal  co-operation  of  the  churches  of  the  North- 
west through  all  its  years  of  trial.  The  first  agents,  Messrs. 
Spring  and  Farris,  had  met  with  much  success  in  1859;  so  also 
had  Mr.  Ewing  in  1863,  in  raising  funds  to  erect  the  first  build- 
ing, and  Mr.  Faris  in  1875,  to  build  the  chapel.  In  like  man- 
ner the  appeals  'of  the  agents,  Mr.  Faris,  Mr.  Truax,  Mr. 
Milligan,  Dr.  Craig  and  others,  had  been  responded  to  with 
very  liberal  contributions  from  the  churches.  Not  a  few  large- 
hearted  individuals  at  different  points  had  been  found,  from 
time  to  time,  ready  to  help  in  creating  a  library  and  in  found- 
ing scholarships.  More  than  once  too,  the  benevolent  ladies 
of  the  Chicago  churches  and  of  churches  at  a  distance  had 
rendered  important  service  in  furnishing  the  Seminary  build- 
ings. Indeed  all  the  money  for  the  current  expenses  of  the 
institution  had  come  from  liberal  individuals  or  liberal 
churches. 

But  no  large  endowment  fund  had  ever  been  raised  from 
the  outside  contributors.  There  was  in  this  respect  the  same 
slowness  and  want  of  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  Church  at 
large  at  this  time  which  had  been  manifested  at  the  beginning 
and  had  continued  through  the  entire  history  of  the  institution, 
and  so  the  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  not  raised. 
Hitherto  Mr.  McCormick  had  been  compelled  to  bear  the  bur- 
den of  the  endowment  almost  alone.  The  failure  of  this  last 
''honest  effort"  to  add  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the 
funds,  or  even  the  half  of  it,  made  it  plain  beyond,  all  question 
that  the  institution  could  not  depend  for  its  further  enlarge- 
ment on  the  general  contributions  of  the  whole  Church,  but 
must  look  to  the  one  supporting  hand  which  under  God  had 
held  it  up  through  so  much  of  the  past.     It  was  not  that  he 


324  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

desired  to  stand  alone  in  this  beneficence  of  endowing  all  the 
chairs,  but  that  no  one  else  could  be  found  who  was  willing 
to  take  part  in  the  honor. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April,  1879,  the 
trustees  in  their  annual  report  communicated  the  fact  of  the 
reception  of  what  proved  to  be  in  the  years  following  a  most 
opportune  and  valuable  donation  to  the  Seminary.  The  agent 
of  the  Seminary,  Rev.  J.  M.  Paris,  had  placed  in  their  hands, 
in  the  form  of  investments,  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars 
from  Thomas  A.  Gait,  Esq.,  of  Sterling,  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Mr.  Gait's  purpose  in  this  donation  was 
that  one  half  of  the  amount  should  be  for  the  founding  of  a 
scholarship  to  be  called  the  Thomas  A.  Gait  scholarship,  and 
that  the  other  half  should  constitue  the  Catherine  Gait  fund 
for  embellishing  the  grounds  and  buildings  of  the  Seminary, 
the  annual  income  of  said  fund  to  be  applied  to  this  object 
under  the  supervision  and  direction  of  the  faculty.  The  timely 
contribution  was  accepted  by  the  Board  and  applied  according 
to  the  liberal  donor's  intention.  It  has  done  good  service  for 
the  institution  from  year  to  year,  both  as  regards  the  perma- 
nent scholarship  and  the  ornamental  work  of  beautifying  the 
grounds  and  buildings,  adding  not  a  little  to  the  increasing 
attractiveness  and  comfort  of  the  Seminary  premises.  Under 
a  judicious  expenditure  of  the  annual  income  of  this  embellish- 
ing fund,  which  bears  the  name  of  Mr.  Gait's  wife,  the  whole 
aspect  of  the  Seminary  grounds  has  been  greatly  changed 
and  improved.  Broad  grassy  plats,  graveled  walks  and  boule- 
vards, trees,  shrubbery  and  flowers  artistically  arranged  give  an 
air  of  culture,  elegance  and  refinement  to  the  whole  campus 
not  perhaps  excelled  at  any  other  seat  of  sacred  learning  in  our 
land.  To  the  lover  of  the  beautiful  it  cannot  be  other  than  a 
perpetual  satisfaction  and  a  great  help  to  study  in  the  midst  of 
surroundinsfs  so  tasteful  and  facilities  so  convenient. 

During  th»e  sessions  of  the  Board  of  Directors  at  its  special 
meeting  in  November,  1880,  the  sad  intelligence  was  received 
of  the  death  of  one  of  its  most  distinguished  and  efficient 
members,  the  Rev.  Fielding  N.  Ewingof  Decatur,  Illinois.  As 
narrated  in  a  preceding  chapter,.  Mr.  Ewing  had  been  an  active 


i88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  325 

member  of  the  body  from  its  organization  in  1859,  ^s  he  had 
also  been  of  the  preceding  synodical  Board  from  1857.  No 
man  of  all  the  directory  had  been  more  deeply  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  the  Seminary,  had  done  more  to  shape  its  progress 
or  had  rendered  to  it  more  signal  services  at  critical  stages  in 
its  early  history.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual  practical  wisdom 
in  the  administration  of  public  affairs.  He  was  scarcely  ever 
absent  from  the  meetings  of  the  Board  and  his  influence  in  its 
counsels  was  always  recognized  by  his  colleagues  as  eminently, 
judicious  and  weighty.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  was 
educated  at  the  University  of  Nashville  in  Tennessee,  under  Dr. 
Philip  Lindsley,  and  was  trained  for  the  ministry  at  Princeton 
Seminary,  New  Jersey,  under  the  admirable  instruction  of 
Drs.  Alexander,  Miller  and  Hodge.  After  a  few  years  of 
preaching  in  his  native  state,  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  settled 
at  Decatur,  where  he  married  and  exercised  the  pastoral  office 
until  compelled  to  give  up  preaching  on  account  of  the  failure 
of  his  voice.  Still  he  continued  to  the  end  of  life  to  exercise 
a  most  efficient  and  useful  ministry  for  the  Church,  as  well  as 
to  labor  in  this  Seminary  directory. 

When  the  tidings  reached  the  Board  of  Directors  that  his 
earthly  life  had  closed,  they  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  a 
suitable  minute,  commemorative  of  his  character  and  his  ser- 
vices to  the  Seminary.  The  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  chair- 
man of  the  committee,  presented  the  following  paper,  which 
was  adopted  : 

"  The  members  of  this  Board  receive  with  sincere  and  pro- 
found sorrow  intelligence  of  the  demise,  on  last  Thursday,  the 
i8th  of  November,  1880,  at  his  residence  in  Decatur,  Illinois, 
after  a  painful  and  lingering  illness,  endured  with  Christian 
resignation,  of  their  esteemed  colleague.  Rev.  Fielding  N. 
Ewing.  Mr.  Ewing  had  been  an  efficient  member  of  the  direc- 
tory for  a  continuous  period  of  considerably  over  twenty  years. 
At  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  this  Seminary  by  the  General 
Assembly,  and  the  consequent  opening  in  Chicago  in  1859,  ^^^ 
through  the  eventful  years  following,  his  wise  counsels  and  his 
earnest  and  unselfish  exertions  contributed  very  materially  to 
its  establishment  and  prosperity. 


326  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

*'  The  Board  gratefully  records  its  appreciation  of  his  excep- 
tionally invaluable  services,  especially  in  that  earlier  formative 
and  critical  period  of  the  Seminary's  history  in  this  city; 

*'  First,  in  effecting,  after  prolonged  negotiation,  during 
which  he  was  obliged  to  make  more  than  one  trip  to  New 
Albany,  Indiana,  an  amicable  adjustment  of  the  complicated 
questions  relating  to  the  old  Seminary  property  in  that  city,  at 
issue  between  the  trustees  there  and  here.  Our  brother's 
sound  judgment,  patience  and  self-abnegation  in  this  whole 
affair,  were  of  eminent  service  to  the  institution,  which  has  not 
hitherto  been  adequately  recognized. 

"  Second,  in  re-securing,  by  judicious  and  painstaking  efforts, 
the  donation  when  it  was  in  danger  of  being  forfeited  of  the 
immensely  valuable  lands  on  which  the  Seminary  is  now 
located. 

''Third,  in  devoting  over  three  months  of  the  inclement 
winter  of  1 862-1 863  to  the  personal  solicitation  and  collection 
from  numerous  donors,  chiefly  in  the  city  of  New  York,  at  an 
entire  cost  of  less  than  four  per  centum,  of  about  sixteen  thou- 
sand dollars,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  the  present  com- 
modious Seminary  edifice,  and  in  then  superintending  its  erec- 
tion, without  charge,  with  consummate  care  and  judgment. 

"  Fourth,  in  further  gratuitous  and  laborious  services  for 
years  in  the  administration  of  the  details  of  the  internal  busi- 
ness affairs  of  the  institution,  in  all  of  which  he  was  discreet 
and  untiring  and  shunned  -ostentation  and  conspicuity. 

"  Fifth,  in  making  cash  contributions,  aggregating  the  lib- 
eral sum  of  over  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  in  the  first  six  years 
of  the  Seminary's  operations  here,  towards  meeting  its  modest 
current  expenses. 

"  The  Board  gladly  makes  this  record  of  its  estimate  of  the 
character  and  services  of  our  beloved  brother,  now  taken  to 
rest  with  the  Saviour,  and  directs  the  secretary  to  convey  to  the 
bereaved  family  a  copy  of  this  minute,  with  assurances  of  our 
sincere  sympathy  with  them  in  this  sorrow."  " 

The  next  year,  at  the  annual  meeting  in  1881,  the  Board  of 
Directors  was  informed  of  the   recent  death  of  another  of  its 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  173. 


i88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  327 

prominent  and  useful  members,  Mr.  Thomas  M.  Sinclair,  a 
ruling  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa. 
Rev.  Thos.  H.  Cleland,  D.D.,  of  the  committee  appointed  to 
draw  up  a  suitable  memorial  of  Mr.  Sinclair,  presented  the 
following  minute,  which  was  adopted  and  ordered  to  be  sent 
to  Mrs.  Sinclair,  and  also  to  be  published  in  the  papers  of 
Chicago  and  Cedar  Rapids : 

'•Whereas,  This  Board  has  heard  with  painful  regret  tidings 
of  the  sudden  death  of  one  of  its  most  esteemed  and  efficient 
members,  Mr.  Thomas  M.  Sinclair,  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  ist,  That  in  this  most  mysterious  dispensation, 
our  only  comfort  and  refuge  is  to  bow  in  profound  stillness 
before  His  inscrutable  will,  who  is  wonderful  in  counsel  and 
excellent  in  working. 

''2d,  That  in  Thomas  M.  Sinclair  we  recognized  a  gentleman 
of  rare  urbanity  and  generosity,  a  man  possessed  of  uncommon 
gifts  of  intellect  and  business  qualification,  a  Christian  blame- 
less in  life,  pure  in  purpose,  energetic  in  action,  broad  and  lib- 
eral in  his  benefactions  and  thoroughly  consecrated  to  his 
Master  and  his  Church,  a  patriot  who  loved  the  country  of  his 
adoption  and  a  philanthropist  who  has  left  the  marks  of  his 
devotion,  wisdom  and  energy  in  an  improved  public  sentiment 
in  the  country  respecting  the  treatment  of  the  Indian  popula- 
tion. 

"  3rd,  That,  while  we  deplore  the  loss  sustained  by  the 
Church  and  country  of  a  devoted  Christian  and  eminent  citi- 
zen, this  Board  particularly  recognizes  its  loss  of  a  valuable  and 
active  member. 

"  4th,  That  in  the  suddenness  of  his  removal  from  a  career 
of  usefulness  of  enlarging  promise,  God  is  calling  those  who 
survive  him  to  quickened  zeal  and  consecrated  devotion  in  life, 
benevolence  and  labor,  no  one  knowing  how  short  may  be  his 
opportunity  of  usefulness. 

"  5th,  That  this  Board  tenders  to  the  family  of  our  brother 
and  co-laborer  our  real  and  tender  sympathies,  and  we  do 
prayerfully  commend  them  to  the  God  of  all  comfort  and 
grace,  who  is  able  to  relieve  a  stroke  even  so  sudden  and 
heavy. 


328  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

''6th,  That  the  above  expression  of  the  appreciation  and 
sympathy  of  this  Board  be  conveyed  to  his  family  and  also 
become  a  part  of  the  records  of  this  Board. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

T.  H.  Cleland."^ 

To  this  necrological  record  of  directors  of  the  Seminary 
removed  by  death  about  this  time  must  be  added  the  name  of 
another,  William  Gillet  Holmes,  who,  although  not  in  actual 
service  on  the  Board  at  the  time  of  his  death,  had  been  for 
many  years  one  of  its  energetic  and  faithful  members.  He 
had,  in  fact,  been  on  each  of  the  boards  of  administration  and 
on  one  of  them  from  an  early  period.  He  was  one  of  the  con- 
stituent members  of  the  first  Board  of  Directors,  elected  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  1859,  ^^^  ^^  continued  in  active  service 
on  that  Board  until  1873.  For  two  or  three  years,  from  1867 
to  1869,  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and 
for  a  short  time  he  acted  as  its  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Mr.  Holmes  was  an  earnest  friend  of  the  Seminary,  and 
warmly  attached  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  whatever 
relation  he  stood  he  was  regarded  by  all  who  knew  him  as  a 
man  of  high  integrity  and  of  zealous  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
Christ.  He  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  having  been  born  in 
Ayrshire,  March  6th,  1824.  When  quite  young  he  came  with 
his  parents  to  America  and  the  early  part  of  his  life  was  spent 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  He  removed  to  Chicago  in  1857, 
where  he  established  himself  in  the  book  business,  selling 
chiefly  religious  and  theological  works  of  sterling  character.  In 
this,  the  chief  work  of  his  business  life,  he  exerted  a  wide  and 
salutary  influence  over  the  growing  populations  of  the  North- 
west. In  1848  he  married  a  sister  of  Robert  Carter,  the  well- 
known  publisher  of  New  York.  Mr.  Holmes  was  for  many 
years  an  active  ruling  elder  in  what  was  known  as  the  South 
Presbyterian  church  of  this  city,  where  he  continued  until  his 
relations  were  transferred  to  the  Jefferson  Park  church  on  the 
West  Side.  In  this  last  connection  he  died  Dec.  22,  1880,  after 
a  most  consistent  and  useful  Christian  life.  His  wife  and  one 
daughter  survived  him. 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  207. 


i88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  329 

Yet  another  of  these  early  friends  of  the  Seminary  must  here 
be  mentioned  in  the  number  of  the  deceased.  This  was  Mr. 
Warren  Norton,  who  at  different  times  held  a  place  on  each  of 
the  boards  of  administration.  Mr.  Norton  was  one  of  the  nine 
charter  members  named  in  the  act  of  incorporation,  by  which 
in  1857  the  legislature  of  Illinois  constituted  the  "Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest."  In 
1864,  having  ceased  to  be  a  trustee,  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Directors,  in  which  body  he  continued  to  serve 
until  1872.  Mr.  Norton  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  having  been  born  in  Yates  County  in  18 13,  and  was  edu- 
cated at  Geneva,  N,  Y.  On  coming  to  the  West  he  settled  at 
Janesville,  Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business  about  ten 
years,  during  which  time  he  became  a  member  and  an  elder  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  In  1864  he  moved  to  Chicago  and 
was  associated  in  the  grain  commission  business  with  the  firm 
of  Munn  &  Scott.  He  became  an  elder  of  the  North  Presby- 
terian church  of  this  city  and  afterwards  of  the  Fourth  Presby- 
terian church,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death.  Mr.  Norton 
took  a  deep  interest  in  all  Christian  work,  was  a  staunch  advo- 
cate of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  a  faithful  friend  of  the 
Seminary  and  was  prompt  in  his  attendance  on  the  church  and 
on  the  Seminary  boards  while  connected  with  them.  In  all 
his  relations,  public  and  private,  he  was  a  man  of  integrity,  a 
consistent  Christian  and  a  kind-hearted  gentleman.  His  wife, 
with  one  son  and  a  married  daughter,  survived  him. 

Dr.  Charles  Elliott,  who  resigned  the  chair  of  Biblical  Liter- 
ature and  Exegesis  in  the  Seminary  after  a  faithful  service  of 
eighteen  years,  has  during  the'  preparation  of  this  history  been 
called  from  earth  to  heaven.  It  is  therefore  eminently  fitting 
that  in  addition  to  what  was  said  of  him  in  connection  with 
his  resignation  something  m'ore  should  be  here  recorded  in 
regard  to  his  life  and  character,  which  entered  so  largely  into 
all  that  was  permanent  and  good  in  the  upbuilding  of  the 
institution.  In  1882,  the  next  year  after  Dr.  Elliott  ceased  to 
be  a  professor  in  the  Seminary,  he  was  made  professor  of 
Hebrew  in  Lafayette  College,  at  Easton,  Pa.  There  he  con- 
tinued to   give  instruction  until  his  labors  were  brought  to  an 


330  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

end  by  his  death  on  January  14th,  1892.  In  connection  with 
the  work  of  teaching  in  the  college  Dr.  Elliott  pursued  his 
favorite  Biblical  studies  and  prepared  several  learned  and  val- 
uable works  for  the  press,  residing  only  a  part  of  each  year 
at  Easton,  as  his  course  of  instruction  extended  through  but 
one  term. 

But  it  is  of  Dr.  Elliott's  work  and  life  in  the  Seminary  that 
the  writer  wishes  especially  to  speak.  His  colleagues  in  the 
faculty  all  held  him  in  high  esteem  as  a  thorough  and  accom- 
plished scholar,  an  indefatigable  and  conscientious  teacher,  a 
most  genial  and  companionable  friend  and  a  zealous  and 
enthusiastic  co-worker  in  every  department  of  ministerial  edu- 
cation. He  was  regarded  by  the  wide  circle  of  his  friends  and 
brethren  as  one  whose  extended  scholarship  conferred  honor 
on  his  profession  and  whose  character  was  everywhere  a  pass- 
port to  distinction. 

At  the  time  of  his  appointment  to  a  chair  in  the  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  Dr.  Elliott  had  already  won 
a  high  reputation  at  the  Miami  University,  Ohio,  as  a  profes- 
sor of  the  classical  languages.  As  a  teacher  he  was  patient, 
laborious,  thorough  and  accurate  in  his  efforts  to  give  instruc- 
tion, and  he  did  not  fail  to  infuse  his  own  scholarly  enthusiasm 
into  the  minds  of  those  committed  to  his  care.  He  was  so 
diligent  and  indefatigable  himself  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge 
in  whatever  field  he  studied  that  he  had  a  mastery  of  every 
department  of  study  belonging  to  his  chair,  and  no  student 
ever  found  him  unprepared  to  answer  questions  propounded  to 
him.  During  his  long  service  in  the  Seminary,  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  he  was  rarely  known  to  make  a  mistake  or  fall  into  error 
on  any  point  belonging  to  his  department.  In  the  period  of 
his  instruction  it  devolved  on  him  to  cover  the  whole  course, 
not  only  of  elementary  Hebrew,  training,  of  New  Testament 
Literature  and  of  General  Introduction  and  Hermeneutics,  but 
also  of  the  regular  Old  Testament  and  New  Testament 
Exegesis.  In  order  to  do  this  satisfactorily  he  had  to  be 
a  very  busy  man.  He  had  to  meet  in  course  each  of  the 
three  classes  and  this  necessitated  giving  on  an  average 
ten   or    eleven    recitations  or  lectures  per    week    during    the 


i88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  33I 

whole  time  of  his  connection  with  the  institution.  No 
man  could  have  thus  filled  the  two  departments  of  Greek 
and  Hebrew  for  so  long  a  time  and  so  successfully  without 
being  a  teacher  of  the  highest  order.  That  he  did  thus  suc- 
ceed to  the  entire  satisfaction  and  even  admiration  of  the 
students  who  were  under  his  instruction  during  these  years 
would  no  doubt  be  attested  by  every  one  of  his  pupils  who 
had  been  faithful  and  dihgent  to  profit  by  his  learning.  As  to 
his  own  superior  knowledge  in  his  wide  department,  both  in 
point  of  its  extent  and  its  thorough  accuracy,  the  half  dozen 
learned  volumes  which  came  from  his  pen  during  and  since 
these  years  in  the  Seminary  stand  as  a  sufficient  demonstra- 
tion. 

The  writer,  who  was  associated  with  him  in  the  faculty 
during  all  this  period,  who  met  him  daily,  who  attended  the 
examinations  of  his  classes  from  year  to  year,  who  often  heard 
him  in  the  lecture  room  and  in  the  pulpit,  can  with  pleasure 
bear  witness  to  his  thoroughness  as  a  teacher,  to  his  high 
integrity  as  a  man,  to  his  conscientious  zeal  as  a  minister  of 
God  and  a  theological  instructor,  to  his  genial,  loving  character 
as  a  friend  and  as  a  Christian  gentleman.  His  kindness, 
courtesy,  modesty,  unselfishness,  affability  and  general  compan- 
ionableness  were  proverbial  in  the  Seminary,  as  in  every  other 
circle  where  he  was  known.  No  man  could  well  have  aught 
against  Dr.  Elliott.  He  was  a  favorite  with  the  students  and 
with  everybody  else  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 
Some  wondered  that  a  man  of  books,  so  profound  a  Hebrew 
and  Greek  scholar,  so  widely  read  in  the  history,  science,  phi- 
losophy and  literature  of  his  own  tongue  and  of  other  lan- 
guages, should  at  all  times  be  so  approachable  and  affable  in 
the  social  intercourse  of  life,  so  ready  to  speak  a  kind  word  to 
every  one  he  met  and  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  all  in  need. 
But  these  characteristics  sprung  spontaneously  from  the 
natural  generosity  of  his  large  heart  and  from  that  benevolent, 
unselfish  spirit  which  dwelt  within  him  and  adorned  his  whole 
Christian  character. 

The  period  of  Dr.  Elliott's  connection  with  the  Seminary 
was  in  many  respects  a  time  of  unusual  trial,  and  with  his  col- 


332  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

leagues  he  had  to  do  his  work  at  serious  disadvantage.  But 
the  faithful  service  he  rendered  to  the  institution  in  all  these 
years  was  a  most  important  and  valuable  one.  As  attested 
by  the  annual  reports  of  the  examining  committees  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  as  well  as  in  the  judgment  of  the  pro- 
fessors and  the  students,  he  did  his  work  with  unremitting 
zeal  and  with  marked  success,  and  in  so  doing  he  contributed 
his  share  of  labor  and  patient  effort  to  carry  the  Seminary 
through  that  period  of  depression  and  to  secure  for  it  the 
standard  of  scholarship  and  the  trmmphant  success  which  it 
has  since  attained.  His  effi<:ient  work,  with  that  of  his  coad- 
jutors, laid  a  good  foundation  for  all  time  to  come  and  has 
left  an  impress  on  the  institution  which  wall  not  be  effaced. 
The  young  men  who  sat  under  his  scholarly  instruction  in  their 
preparation  for  the  ministry  are  now  Successful  workers  for 
Christ  in  every  part  of  our  own  country  and  in  foreign  lands. 
They  do  not  lightly  esteem  the  wise  counsels,  the  loving, 
fatherly  instructions  of  this  venerable  and  beloved  professor. 
They  honored  and  loved  him  while  here,  and  while  life  lasts 
they  will  remember  his  hearty,  cheerful  words  of  encourage- 
ment and  Christian  sympathy. 

It  was  the  habit  of  Dr.  Elliott  while  a  professor  in  the  Semi- 
nary to  attend  all  the  meetings  of  the  professors  and  students 
for  devotional  exercises  and  to  bear  his  full  share  in  these  ser- 
vices of  prayer  and  of  praise  and  of  conference.  His  influence 
in  this  respect  was  of  the  most  instructive  and  useful  order.  In 
addition  to  this,  he  also,  at  the  invitation  of  the  professor  of 
Homiletics,  always  made  it  a  point  of  duty  and  of  privilege  to 
be  present  at  the  exercises  of  the  students  for  the  composition 
and  delivery  of  sermons.  In  their  exercises  he  cheerfully  bore 
a  part.  His  fine  literary  taste  in  English  composition  and  his 
superior  acquaintance  with  the  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures 
in  their  original  tongues  made  him  a  superb  critic  of  these 
homiletical  productions  of  the  students.  His  criticism  was 
always  to  the  point  and  was  regarded  as  of  the  highest  value 
not  only  by  the  professor  in  charge  but  by  the  students,  as 
he  never  failed  to  throw  new  and  interesting  light  on  the  sub- 
ject in  hand. 


REV.   HERRICK  JOHNSON,   D.  D.,  LL.  D 


l88o-i88i.  INCREASE  OF  ENDOWMENT  FUND.  333 

Dr.  Elliott  was  born  at  Castleton,  in  Scotland,  March  18, 
181 5.  He  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  when  he  was 
four  years  old.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  Lafayette 
College  as  a  student  and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1840. 
From  1843  ^^  1^45  ^^  ^^'^^  principal  of  an  academy  at  Xenia, 
Ohio,  and  during  the  next  four  years  was  professor  at  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania  at  Pittsburgh.  In  1849 
he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  Greek  Literature  and  Lo^ic  in 
Miami  University,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  fourteen  years. 
In  1858  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry  and  supplied 
for  some  time  a  church  near  Oxford,  Ohio,  until  in  1863 
he  was  called  to  the  important  position  of  professor  of  Biblical 
Literature  and  Exegesis  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semi- 
nary at  Chicago.  Dr.  Elliott's  published  works  are  *'  A  Treatise 
on  the  Sabbath,"  "A  Treatise  on  Divine  Inspiration,"  **A 
General  Introduction  to  the  Prophetical  Books  in  Lange's 
Commentary,"  "  Biblical  Hermeneutics,"  "  The  Mosaic  Au- 
thorship of  the  Pentateuch," '*  Old  Testament  Prophecy"  and 
"Christus  Mediator."  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  in  prep- 
aration for  the  press  works  on  ''Biblical  Theology"  and  "The 
Higher  Criticism."  In  June,  1891,  he  received  the  honorary 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  Hamilton  College,  N.  Y.  In 
1844  Dr.  Elliott  married  Miss  Henrietta  Udell,  of  Princeton, 
N.  J.,  who  survived  him  but  a  few  weeks,  leaving  an  only 
daughter,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Elliott,  of  Chicago. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

NEW  PROFESSORS  AND  NEW  BUILDINGS. 
1881-1883. 

Reconstruction  of  Chairs.  Dr.  Halsey  made  Emeritus  Professor.  Dr. 
Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  Elected.  One  of  the  Chairs  Divided.  Rev.  Edward 
L.  Curtis  Elected.  Three  New  Professors  Elected.  All  Decline.  Rev. 
Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.D.,  Elected  Professor  of  Theology.  New  Houses  for 
the  Professors.  The  Opening  of  the  Session  of  1881.  Dr.  Halsey  in  Charge 
of  the  Classes  in  Theology.  Dr.  Skinner  Accepts  his  Position.  Parts  of 
Instruction  Assigned  to  Dr.  Skinner  and  Dr.  Johnson.  New  Testament 
Literature  and  Exegesis  to  Dr.  Halsey.  Close  of  the  Session.  Drs.  Craig 
and  Marquis  Re-Elected.  Dr.  Craig  Accepts.  Session  of  1882-1883.  Mr. 
McCormick  Offers  to  Build  Three  Dwellings.  A  Director  of  the  Seminary  for 
Life.  Constitution  Amended.  Four  New  Dwellings.  Endowment  Money 
Used  in  Building.  Action  of  the  Board.  A  Wise  Investment.  Dr.  Marquis 
Accepts.  Session  of  1 883- 1 884.  Full  Faculty.  Inauguration  of  Drs.  Skmner 
and  Craig.  Dr.  Skinner  Thanked.  Religious  Meetings  of  the  Students. 
Influence  of  Moody  Meetings  in  1876.  Decease  of  Dr.  R.  C.  Matthews. 
His  Service  to  the  Seminary.     His  Long  Pastorate. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April, 
1881,  the  important  business  of  re-adjusting  the  professorships 
of  the  Seminary  and  of  electing  new  incumbents  to  the  vacant 
or  newly  created  chairs  was  at  once  brought  before  the  body. 
The  old  professors  had  sent  in  their  resignations  to  take  effect 
at  this  time  and  it  was  of  essential  importance  that  the  institu- 
tion should  not  be  left  without  instructors.  The  Board  had 
indeed  appointed  a  committee,  at  its  preceding  annual  meet- 
ing, consisting  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Gibson,  Dr.  W.  W.  Harsha,  Rev. 
Josiah  Milligan,  Rev.  A.  G.  Wilson  and  Hon.  Samuel  M. 
Moore,  to  examine  into  the  matter  and  report  to  the  meeting 
of  1 88 1  the  action  necessary  to  be  taken. 

This  committee  on  the  reorganization  of  the  chairs  reported 

334 


1881-1883.  NEW  PROFESSORS  AND  BUILDINGS.  335 

to  the  Board  recommending  that  Dr.  L.  J.  Halsey,  .who  had 
been  in  the  service  of  the  Seminary  since  1859  ^^  professor 
of  Historical  and  Pastoral  Theology  and  Church  Government, 
should  be  asked  to  continue  in  its  service  as  professor  emer- 
itus, a  part  of  the  duties  of  his  former  chair  being  assigned  to 
him.  He  was  accordingly  elected  professor  emeritus  of  Church 
Government  and  the  Sacraments,  to  attend  to  such  duties  as  his 
health  would  permit,  with  a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars  per 
annum,  from  April  ist,  1881.  It  was  understood  that  under 
this  arrangement  a  new  professor,  to  be  elected  by  the  Board, 
would  take  charge  of  the  other  duties  of  the  chair  hitherto 
filled  by  Dr.  Halsey. 

The  proper  incumbent  for  this  new  chair  had  already  been 
fixed  upon  by  the  friends  of  the  Seminary.  This  was  Rev. 
Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  who,  having,  with  signal  ability,  filled 
the  chair  of  Pastoral  Theology  and  Sacred  Rhetoric  for  several 
years  in  the  theological  seminary  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  had 
recently  been  called  to  Chicago  as  pastor  of  the  Fourth  Pres- 
byterian church.  He  was  at  once  elected  by  the  Board  to  the 
new  chair  in  the  Seminary.  But  as  he  did  not  wish,  at  that 
time,  to  sever  his  pastoral  relations  with  the  Fourth  church,  the 
Board,  at  his  own  suggestion,  so  far  changed  the  appointment 
as  to  elect  him  for  one  year  special  instructor  in  Sacred  Rhet- 
oric and  Pastoral  Theology. 

As  recommended  by  its  committee,  the  Board  divided  the 
chair  of  Biblical  Literature  and  Exegesis  into  two  depart- 
ments, the  one  to  be  called  the  professorship  of  Old  Testa- 
ment Literature  and  Exegesis,  and  the  other  the  professorship 
of  New  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis.  The  Rev.  Edward 
L.  Curtis,  A.B.,  a  graduate  of  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York,  who  had  also  pursued  his  Hebrew  studies  for  several 
years  in  Germany  under  the  ablest  instructors,  was  elected  for 
one  year  instructor  in  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis. 

The  Board,  before  adjourning,  proceeded  to  fill  three  of 
the  vacant  chairs  by  an  election,  which  resulted  in  the  follow- 
ing choice,  each  of  the  three  professors  being  unanimously 
chosen.  The  Rev.  Benjamin  B.  Warfield,  D.D.,  professor  in 
the  theological  seminary  at  Allegheny,  Pa.,  was  elected  to  the 


33^  HISTORY  op^  Mccormick  seminary. 

Cyrus  H,.  McCormick  professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic 
Theology.  Rev.  Willis  G.  Craig,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  was  elected  professor  of  Bib- 
lical and  Ecclesiastical  History.  Rev.  David  C.  Marquis,  D.D., 
pastor  of  the  Lafayette  Square  Presbyterian  church  of  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  was  elected  professor  of  New  Testament  Litera- 
ture and  Exegesis.  Committees  were  appointed  to  inform 
these  gentlemen  of  their  election."^ 

When  it  became  known  that  some  of  the  professors-elect 
had  declined  their  appointments,  a  special  meeting  of  the  direc- 
tory was  held  on  the  14th  of  June,  1881,  to  consider  what 
should  be  done.  In  place  of  Dr.  Warfield  the  Board  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  elect  another  professor.  The  election 
resulted  in  the  choice  of  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.D., 
pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
by  a  very  large  majority,  and  the  election  was  made  unani- 
mous by  a  rising  vote.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  cor- 
respond with  Dr.  Marquis,  who  had  declined  his  election, 
and  to  request  him  to  reconsider  the  matter,  and  another 
committee  to  correspond  with  Dr.  Craig,  who  had  not  yet 
made  known  his  decision,  urging  him  to  accept  the  position. 
At  this  meeting  of  the  Board  communications  were  received, 
through  its  committees  of  correspondence,  from  Rev.  L.  J. 
Halsey,  D.D.,  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  Edward 
L.  Curtis,  informing  the  Board  that  these  gentlemen  sever- 
ally accepted  the  positions  in  the  Seminary  to  which  they 
had  been  elected  at  the  annual  meeting  of  April,  188 1.  Dur- 
ing its  sessions,  on  motion  of  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  the 
Board  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Mr.  C.  H. 
McCormick  and  Col.  R.  B.  Mason,  to  consider  the  practica- 
bility of  building  dwellings  on  the  Seminary  grounds  for  the 
professors.f 

Another  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  held 
September  27th,  1881,  to  "deliberate  and  act  in  reference  to 
securing  instruction  in  the  various  departments  of  the  Semi- 
nary."    Such  a  meeting  was  necessitated  by  the  fact  that  the 

♦Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  206,  207. 
t  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  224-226. 


1881-1883.  NEW  PROFESSORS  AND  BUILDINGS.  337 

annual  opening  of  the  Seminary  session  had  already  taken 
place  in  the  first  week  of  September,  with  a  limited  number  of 
instructors.  Dr.  Skinner,  the  professor-elect  of  Theology,  was 
in  Europe  when  the  meeting  was  called,  and  it  was  not  then 
known  whether  he  would  accept  the  chair  to  which  he  had 
been  elected.  Besides  this,  Dr.  Craig  had  declined  the  chair 
offered  him,  and  there  was  no  reason  to  hope  that  Dr.  Marquis 
could  be  induced  to  reconsider  his  decision.  With  these  unfa- 
vorable prospects,  the  following  action,  which  had  been  recom- 
mended by  the  executive  committee,  was  adopted  by  the  Board 
of  Directors.  It  was  resolved,  "  That  until  the  chair  of  Theology 
is  regularly  filled  Dr.  Halsey  be  appointed  to  give  instructions 
in  that  department,  in  addition  to  his  own  proper  work,  and 
that  he  be  allowed  at  the  rate  of  $250  per  month  for  such  ser- 
vice ;  and  that  Dr.  Johnson  be  appointed  to  give  instruction  in 
Church  History  in  addition  to  his  own  proper  work;  and 
that  Mr.  Curtis  give  instruction  in  New  Testament  Greek,  in 
addition  to  his  own  proper  work  ;  these  last  without  additional 
compensation." 

As  earnestly  recommended  by  the  executive  committee,  the 
Board  of  Directors  also  adopted  a  resolution  "  fixing  the  sala- 
ries of  the  professors  of  Theology,  of  Church  History  and  of 
Greek  Exegesis  at  $3,000  per  annum  to  each,  with  an  addi- 
tion of  $500  per  annum  to  each  on  account  of  house  rent, 
until  such  time  as  suitable  residences  can  be  provided  by  the 
Board  for  these  professors  on  the  Seminary  grounds,  the  said 
salaries  to  commence  as  soon  as  the  professors  severally  enter 
on  the  service."^  On  motion  of  Henry  G.  Miller,  Esq.,  it 
was  also  "  Resolved,  That  the  Board  will  proceed  with  the 
erection  of  houses  on  the  grounds  of  the  Seminary  for  the 
incumbents  of  the  three  following  professorships.  Theology, 
History  and  Greek,  as  soon  as  funds  are  provided  for  that 
purpose."  *  During  this  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
Dr.  Skinner,  having  returned  from  his  European  trip,  met 
with  the  Board  and  agreed  to  make  known  his  decision  as 
to  accepting  the  professorship  of  Didactic  and  Polemic 
Theology   in   the    Seminary  just  as    soon    as    he   could   visit 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  231,  232,  234. 


338  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

Cincinnati  and  confer  with  the  session  of  his  church  in  that 
city."^ 

A  third  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  was  held 
Jan.  25th,  1882,  to  take  into  consideration  the  vacancies  still 
existing  in  the  chairs  of  instruction.  A  communication  from 
Dr.  Willis  G.  Craig  to  the  executive  committee,  of  Nov. 
19th,  1 88 1,  had  made  known  his  decision  that  he  did  not 
see  his  way  clear  to  accept  the  professorship  of  History.  Dr. 
Skinner  had  already  accepted  the  chair  of  Theology  to  which 
he  had  been  appointed  and  was  at  his  work  in  the  Seminary, 
having  arrived  early  in  November.  Two  chairs  were  still 
vacant,  those  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  of  New  Testament 
Literature  and  Exegesis.  But  there  was  still  some  ground 
of  expectation  on  the  part  of  the  Board  that  the  gentlemen 
who  had  been  called  to  these  positions  might  in  another  year 
be  induced  to  accept  them  ;  and,  as  already  stated,  temporary 
arrangements  had  been  made  with  the  other  professors  to 
carry  on  the  instruction  in  those  departments  for  the  current 
session.  Under  these  circumstances  the  following  resolution, 
offered  by  Dr.  Samuel  J.  NiccoUs,  was  adopted  : 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  judgment  of  the  Board  it  is  not 
expedient  to  take  any  further  action  towards  filling  the  vacant 
chairs  before  the  annual  meeting  in  April  next.'' 

In  the  meantime  the  regular  course  of  study  in  the  Semi- 
nary was  going  on,  under  the  'supervision  of  its  reduced  corps 
of  instructors.  The  session  of  1 881- 1882  was  opened  on  the 
appointed  day  in  the  first  week  of  September.  The  number 
of  students  in  attendance  was  fifteen,  and  the  three  regular 
classes  were  fully  organized  from  the  opening,  the  three 
instructors.  Dr.  Halsey,  Dr.  Johnson  and  Mr.  Curtis,  carrying 
forward  the  work  of  all  the  departments  until  the  arrival  of 
Dr.  Skinner  in  the  first  week  of  November,  when  the  classes  in 
Theology  were  turned  over  to  him.  At  that  time  Dr.  Halsey, 
under  the  direction  of  the  executive  committee,  was  entrusted 
with  the  instruction  of  the  three  classes  in  New  Testament 
Literature  and  Exegesis  for  the  remaining  five  months  of  the 
session.      At  the  same  time  Dr.  Skinner,  at  the  request  of  the 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  231-234. 


1881-1883.         NEW  PROFESSORS  AND   BUILDINGS.  339 

executive  committee,  in  addition  to  his  own  theological  depart- 
ment, took  charge  of  all  the  classes  in  Ecclesiastical  History 
for  the  rest  of  the  term.  Dr.  Johnson,  besides  giving  lectures 
on  Pastoral  Theology  and  Sacred  Rhetoric,  met  the  students 
of  all  the  classes  every  week  for  the  service  of  trial  preaching 
and  criticism.  In  this  way  the  whole  programme  of  instruction 
was  fully  and  satisfactorily  provided  for  throughout  the  session. 

That  the  faculty  had  done  their  work  well,  even  under  dis- 
couraging circumstances,  is  attested  by  the  report  of  the 
examining  committee  at  the  close  of  the  session,  who  said  to 
the  Board  : 

"  The  students  gave  evidence  of  careful  attention  to  the 
various  branches,  and  especially  of  having  profited  by  the 
opportunity  of  personal  intercourse  with  the  professors,  ren- 
dered practicable  by  the  limited  number  in  attendance.  The 
professors  are  deserving  of  commendation  for  the  dihgent, 
faithful  and  successful  performance  of  their  regular  duties,  and 
particularly  for  the  cheerful  and  satisfactory  discharge  of  the 
extraordinary  duties  devolving  upon  them  in  consequence 
of  the  vacant  chairs.  The  examinations  in  the  various  depart- 
ments were  such  as  in  the  main  to  approve  themselves  to  the 
judgment  of  your  committee."  '" 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  April,  1882,  the  subject  of  elect- 
ing professors  for  the  vacant  chairs  again  came  up  for  consid- 
eration. The  Seminary  had  been  brought  successfully  through 
the  year  by  the  hands  of  its  small  working  faculty.  But  it 
was  important  that  all  its  professorships  should  be  fully 
manned  in  order  to  secure  a  larger  attendance  of  students. 
The  Board  of  Directors  accordingly  proceeded  to  re-elect  Rev. 
David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  to  the  chair  of  New  Testament  Lit- 
erature and  Exegesis,  and  Rev.  Willis  G.  Craig,  D.D.,  to  the 
chair  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History,  on  the  same  con- 
ditions as  to  salary  which  had  been  guaranteed  to  them  in 
their  former  election. 

At  the  same  time,  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D..D,  was  elected 
for  another  year  special  instructor  in  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pas- 
toral  Theology.      Rev.    Edward    L.    Curtis    was   elected    for 

*  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  237. 


340  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

another  year  instructor  in  Old  Testament  Literature  and 
Exegesis,  and  Rev.  L.  J.  Halsey,  D.D.,  in  addition  to  his  own 
special  charge  as  emeritus  professor  of  the  Sacraments  and 
Church  Government,  was  again  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
the  several  classes  in  New  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis, 
in  case  Dr.  D.  C.  Marquis  did  not  accept  the  appointment 
to  the  chair  now  offered  him  a  second  time.  From  the  experi- 
ence of  the  past  session,  it  was  manifest  that  the  institution 
under  this  corps  of  instructors  was  abundantly  able  to  hold  its 
own  and  make  advancement  for  the  coming  year.  This  assur- 
ance was  well  grounded  and  justified  by  the  facts.  And 
although  Dr.  Marquis  did  not  see  the  way  clear  to  accept  his 
appointment,  which  left  one  chair  still  vacant,  Dr.  Craig 
accepted  his  and  was  on  the  ground  ready  for  work  before  the 
opening  of  the  next  session,  and  the  faculty  had  the  satisfac- 
tion, in  the  session  of  1882-1883,  of  having  an  attendance 
of  twenty-seven  students,  almost  double  that  of  the  preceding 
year,  the  majority  of  them  being  new  students. 

One  thing  which  had  long  hindered  the  successful  progress 
of  the  work  of  the  Seminary  was  the  lack  of  professors' 
houses  on  the  Seminary  grounds.  Thus  far  no  building  for 
this  purpose  had  ever  been  erected.  This  operated  as  a  most 
serious  obstacle  in  the  minds  of  the  new  incumbents  who  were 
called  to  the  Seminary  chairs.  The  time  had  fully  come  when 
the  complete  success  of  the  institution  demanded  that  this 
hindrance  should  be  removed.  Mr.  McCormick  saw  the  diffi- 
culty, and  his  long  tried  beneficence  was  fully  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency. Much  as  he  had  already  given,  he  stood  prepared  to 
meet  this  new  demand.  It  was  made  known  to  the  Board  of 
Directors  at  this  annual  meeting  of  April,  1882,  that  he  was 
ready  to  furnish  the  means  for  erecting  at  once  three  con- 
venient and  elegant  houses  on  the  Seminary  campus,  for  the 
professors  of  Theology,  History  and  New  Testament  Litera- 
ture, not  to  cost  more  than  $9,000  each,  and  that  he  would 
erect  a  similar  dwelling  for  the  professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric 
and  Pastoral  Theology  when  it  should  be  needed.  This  was 
certainly  a  great  stride  in  advance  and  far  beyond  anything 
which  had  ever  yet   been  done  towards  the  full  and  perfect 


1881-1883.         NEW   PROFESSORS  AND  BUILDINGS.  341 

equipment  of  the  institution  since  the  erection  of  the  first 
building.  It  inspired  new  life  through  the  whole  administration. 
In  consideration  of  all  that  Mr.  McCormick  had  hitherto 
done  for  the  institution,  and  prompted  by  these  renewed  and 
most  liberal  contributions  towards  its  wider  development 'and 
success,  the  Board  of  Directors,  with  enthusiastic  unanimity, 
at  once  adopted  the  following  paper,  not  doubting  its  approval 
by  the  General  Assembly  and  by  the  sentiment  of  the  entire 
Church  : 

"  Resolved,  ist,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  should  and  here- 
by do  adopt,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  General  Assembly, 
the  following  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  this  Seminary, 
to  be  entitled  Section  2,  under  Article  2  in  said  constitution, 
and  to  become  of  force  upon  the  approval  aforesaid. 

'Article.  2.  Section  2.  In  just  recognition  of  his  relations 
of  beneficence  to  this  Seminary,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  is  here- 
by constituted,  from  this  time  forth,  a  special  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  to  qualify  as  and  to  be  entitled  to  all  the 
prerogatives  of  other  full  members  of  the  Board,  and  to  con- 
tinue in  the  office  during  the  term  of  his  natural  life,  or  until 
he   shall   resign.' 

'*  Resolved,  2d,  That  the  section  in  said  Article  2  hitherto 
numbered  2  be  henceforth  numbered  3  ;  and  that  a  correspond- 
ing change  be  made  in  the  enumeration  of  all  the  succeeding 
sections  in  the  article  aforesaid." 

This  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  committee  on  seminaries,  was  at  once  endorsed  by 
the  General  Assembly  of  1882,  thereby  amending  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  Seminary  and  confirming  Mr.  McCormick's  election 
as  a  life  member  of  the  directory.^ 

The  erection  of  dwelling  houses  for  the  new  professors  was 
pushed  forward  without  delay.  Two  of  them,  to  be  occupied 
by  Dr.  Skinner  and  Dr.  Craig,  who  were  already  in  charge  of 
their  respective  chairs,  were  ready  for  occupancy  early  in  1882. 
The  third  was  built  in  1883  ^^r  Dr.  Marquis,  who  had  finally 
accepted  the  appointment,  and  a  fourth  for  Dr.  Johnson  during 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  18S2,  pp.  89,  146. 


342  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

the  year  following.  These  commodious  and  handsome  build- 
ings of  pressed  brick  and  stone  added  greatly  to  the  artistic 
finish  and  homelike  appearance  of  the  Seminary  campus,  and 
for  the  first  time  gave  an  idea  of  something  like  plan  and  com- 
pleteness in  the  design  of  the  institution.  To  some  few  old 
friends  of  the  cause,  still  lingering  on  the  scene,  who  had  pro- 
jected that  design,  and  seen  it  faintly  outlined,  as  through  a 
glass  darkly,  a  quarter  of  a  century  before,  it  was  of  course  a 
supreme  satisfaction  to  see  the  plan  now  taking  shape  in  such 
beautiful  and  magnificent  proportions.  All  is  well  that  ends 
well  and  this  ending  certainly  vindicated  what  had .  been  a 
very  uncertain  and  hard  beginning. 

During  the  session  of  1 881-1882,  the  question  began  to  be 
discussed  among  the  members  of  the  faculty  and  the  two 
boards  of  administration  as  to  the  policy  of  changing  the  mode 
of  investing  the  Seminary  endow^ment.  Hitherto  all  the  per- 
manent endowment  funds  had  been  loaned  out  at  interest  on 
bond  and  mortgage,  secured  on  productive  property  in  Chicago. 
This,  at  ten  per  cent  in  1859,  and  afterwards  at  eight  and  seven 
per  cent,  had  yielded  a  safe  and  good  income.  But  with  the 
reduced  rates  of  interest  obtainable  during  the  recent  years,  it 
began  to  appear  that  the  Seminary  might  better  borrow  its  own 
endowment  fund  and  thus  avail  itself  of  its  large  domain  of 
land  by  erecting  dw^elling  houses  on  it  for  rental,  and  thus 
secure  a  larger  rate  of  interest  in  a  w^ay  equally  safe  or  even 
more  so.  This  policy  was  accordingly  adopted,  at  least  in  part 
and  very  cautiously  at  first.  At  the  special  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  held  January  25,  1882,  on  motion  of  two  of 
its  early  prominent  members.  Rev.  Josiah  Milligan  and  Henry 
G.  Miller,  Esq.,  the  following  action  was  taken:  "Resolved, 
that  the  trustees  be  and  are  hereby  authorized,  if  in  their  judg- 
ment it  shall  seem  advisable,  to  expend  a  portion  of  the  endow- 
ment money  not  exceeding  §35,000  in  improving  the  property 
of  the  Seminary  by  placing  buildings  upon  it  for  rental." 

Under  this  direction  the  trustees  took  measures  during  the 
summer  of  1882  to  build  a  row  of  six  dwelling  houses  on 
Montana  street,  on  that  part  of  the  ground  which  had  been 
donated  by  Messrs.  Lill  and  Diversy.     In  the  summer  follow- 


REV.  EDWARD  L.   CURTIS,   Ph.  D. 


1881-1883.         NEW  PROFESSORS  AND  BUILDINGS.  343 

ing  another  row  of  nine  houses  was  built  on  Dunning  street. 
From  that  time  forward  other  rows  were  built  each  year,  of 
more  costly  houses,  on  the  ground  given  by  Messrs.  Ogden  and 
Sheffield  on  Fullerton  and  Belden  avenues.  In  a  few  years 
fifty-one  dwelling  houses  for  rent  were  erected,  and  the  bulk  of 
the  endowment  money  was  thus  employed.  The  wisdom  of 
the  policy  was  fully  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  every  house 
was  rented  as  soon  as  built  to  first-class  tenants,  the  whole 
improvement  yielding  for  the  current  expenses  of  the  institu- 
tion a  sure  and  remunerative  income  of  between  eight  and  ten 
per  cent  on  the  funds  thus  used.  These  fine  residences  served 
the  purpose  also  of  drawing  a  substantial  and  intelligent  class 
of  Christian  and  Presbyterian  families  to  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Seminary,  and  of  contributing  greatly  to  the 
material  prosperity  as  well  as  to  the  educational  and  moral 
development  of  that  part  of  the  city.  The  wisdom  of  the 
original  donors  of  the  land  in  helping  to  found  such  a  school, 
was  now  abundantly  seen  in  the  greatly  increased  value  of  all 
the  real  estate  and  the  substantial  character  of  the  whole  popu- 
lation belonging  to  that  vicinity. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  April,  1883,  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors proceeded  to  fill  the  chairs  of  instruction  still  vacant. 
Rev.  David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  was  again  elected  professor  of 
New  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis  and,  all  former 
obstacles  being  now  removed,  he  accepted  the  position.  Rev. 
Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  having  been  for  two  years  a  special 
instructor  in  the  Seminary  was  elected  a  full  professor,  in  the 
chair  of  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology.  Rev.  Edward 
L.  Curtis  was  continued  for  another  year  as  instructor  in  Old 
Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis,  with  the  same  salary  as  in 
the  former  year  and  the  free  use  of  one  of  the  new  houses  of 
the  Seminary.  The  salaries  of  Drs.  Johnson  and  Marquis  were 
the  same  as  those  of  the  other  professors,  $3,000  per  annum, 
with  $500  for  house  rent  until  the  Seminary  dwellings  should 
be  finished. 

The  session  of  1 883-1 884  was  a  satisfactory  and  successful 
one.  It  was  full  of  encouragement  for  the  future.  It  showed 
the  institution  to  be  once  more  on  the  ascending  scale.     The 


344  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

session  opened  in  September  with  a  larger  faculty  of  instruction 
than  the  institution  had  ever  had.  The  professors  were  all  on 
the  ground  and  full  of  high  enthusiasm  for  their  work.  The 
faculty  consisted  of  Rev.  Le  Roy  J.  Halsey,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  pro- 
fessor emeritus  of  Church  Government  and  the  Sacraments ; 
Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.D.,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  profes- 
sor of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  ;  Rev.  Willis  G.  Craig, 
D.D.,  professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History- ;  Rev. 
David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  professor  of  New  Testament  Litera- 
ture and  Exegesis;  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  profes- 
sor of  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology ;  Rev.  Edward 
L.  Curtis,  A.B.,  instructor  in  Old  Testament  Literature  and 
Exegesis,  secretary  of  the  faculty  and  librarian.  The  published 
catalogue  of  the  session  showed  fifty-nine  names  on  the  list  of 
students.  This  was  a  larger  attendance  of  students  than  had 
been  in  the  institution  in  any  former  year  of  its  history. 

Although  Drs.  Skinner  and  Craig  had  been  doing  their  full 
work  in  the  Seminary  ever  since  their  acceptance  of  their 
respective  chairs.  Dr.  Craig  for  one  session  and  Dr.  Skinner  for 
two  sessions,  their  formal  inauguration  as  professors  did  not 
occur  until  April,  1SS3,  ^^  the  time  of  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  directors.  The  public  exercises  connected  with  their 
induction  into  the  offices  to  which  they  had  been  chosen  then 
took  place  in  the  presence  of  the  Board,  at  the  Fourth  Presby- 
terian church,  Chicago,  Thursday  evening,  April  5th,  1883. 
Each  of  the  new  professors  subscribed  the  constitution  of  the 
Seminary,  delivered  an  inaugural  address  and  received  the 
usual  charge  from  the  president  of  the  Board. 

For  the  large  increase  in  the  number  of  students,  for  an 
increase  also  of  available  funds  to  assist  students,  and  for  many 
important  changes  in  the  Seminary  buildings,  such  as  the  intro- 
duction of  gas  and  water  into  the  rooms  and  halls,  made  at  no 
small  expense  and  greatly  needed,  the  Seminary  at  this  time 
was  largely  indebted  to  the  liberal  helping  hand  of  Dr.  Skinner. 
From  the  time  he  first  set  foot  on  the  grounds  and  in  the  build- 
ings, he  saw  at  a  glance  what  was  needed.  He  gave  both  his  time 
and  his  skillful  agency  to  the  work  of  improvement.  And  not 
waiting  for  others  to  provide  the  means,  he  hesitated  not  to 


1881-1883.  NEW  PROFESSORS  AND  BUILDINGS.  345 

advance  the  money  needed  in  order  to  put  the  Seminary 
into  good  working  order.  The  faculty,  in  their  annual  report 
to  the  Board  of  Directors  of  1883,  made  mention  of  these 
public  and  efficient  services  of  Dr.  Skinner,  and  ''  the  thanks  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  were  thereupon  tendered  to  the  com- 
mittee of  the  faculty  (on  whom  the  care  of  the  buildings  and 
grounds  devolved )  of  which  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner  was 
chairman,  for  their  efficient  and  valuable  services  in  renovating 
and  improving  the  Seminary  buildings,  and  for  the  generous 
gift  of  over  $2,000  with  which  to  meet  the  expenses  thus 
incurred."  ^ 

At  the  opening  of  the  session  of  1882- 1883  the  facult}', 
with  a  view  to  the  spiritual  growth  and  advancement  of  the 
students,  decided  as  a  standing  order  for  each  session  that  the 
students  and  professors  should  meet  in  daily  chapel  every 
morning  for  religious  service  at  a  quarter  before  nine  o  clock ; 
that  a  special  meeting  for  conference  ?nd  prayer  between  the 
students  and  faculty  should  be  held  each  week  on  Monday 
evening,  and  also  that  there  should  be  once  a  week  a  student's 
prayer  meeting,  alternating  with  a  missionary  meeting  at  which 
papers  on  missionary  countries  should  be  read,  missionary  topics 
discussed  and  collections  taken.  These  services  have  been 
kept  up  with  increasing  interest  on  the  part  of  both  students 
and  professors,  during  each  succeeding  year. 

The  religious  and  spiritual  life  at  the  Seminary  is  however 
quickened  and  maintained  by  several  concurring  influences. 
First  may  be  mentioned  the  daily  contact  of  the  students  with 
the  professors  and  with  each  other.  This  acts  and  reacts  as  a 
continual  incentive  to  duty  and  to  higher  attainment  in  grace 
and  a  life  of  holiness.  Next  is  the  worship  of  God  in  the 
sanctuary,  which  every  student  of  the  Seminary  is  expected  to 
attend  upon  regularly  in  some  church  either  in  the  neighbor- 
hood or  in  other  parts  of  the  city.  Then,  as  has  been  said,  the 
students  have  meetings  of  their  own  for  prayer,  praise,  Scripture 
reading,  exhortation  and  inquiry  on  the  subjects  of  home  and 
foreign  missions,  and  there  are  the  two  appointments  in  the 
Seminary  in  which  the  professors  and  students  are  accustomed 

♦Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1SS3,  p.  728. 


34^  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

to  meet  regularly  all  together  for  the  purpose  of  religious 
devotion.  These  latter  are  the  daily  morning  meetings  in  the 
chapel  for  prayer  held  at  a  quarter  before  nine  o'clock  and  the 
weekly  meeting  for  prayer  and  conference  held  at  seven  o'clock 
every  Monday  evening.  The  morning  prayer  meeting  is  led 
in  turn  by  members  of  the  senior  and  middle  classes  in  alpha- 
betical order,  at  which  there  is  the  singing  of  hymn,  the  read- 
ing of  the  Scripture  and  prayer  by  the  leader,  and  occupies 
about  fifteen  minutes.  The  weekly  prayer  and  conference 
meeting  is  conducted  by  one  of  the  professors  in  regular 
rotation,  and  consists  of  reading  and  expounding  some  chosen 
passage  of  Scripture,  with  such  practical  remarks  and  applica- 
tions as  to  experimental  religion  as  the  leader  may  deem 
appropriate,  after  which  the  conference  is  thrown  open  to  pro- 
fessors and  students  for  such  prayer  and  remarks  as  any  one 
may  choose  to  offer.  All  the  professors  and  students  attend 
these  services,  and  long  experienc'e  has  shown  that  these  daily 
and  weekly  devotional  exercises  have  done  much  to  develop, 
quicken  and  sustain  a  high  grade  of  spiritual  life  in  the  institu- 
tion. 

In  connection  with  the  strong  influence  of  the  religious  life 
within  the  home  circle  at  the  Seminary,  the  students  occasionally 
have  the  benefit  bf  another  influence  which  comes  to  them 
from  without  from  the  presence  and  preaching  of  evangelical 
pastors,  or  eminent  revivalists  who  at  times  visit  the  churches 
of  Chicago.  A  noted  instance  of  this  good  influence  may  be 
mentioned  in  illustration.  It  is  that  which  occurred  during  the 
session  of  1 876-1 877  when  Mr.  Moody  and  Mr.  Sankey,  with 
other  distinguished  evangelists,  visited  Chicago  and  held  revi- 
val meetings.  That  occasion,  which  extended  its  reviving 
influences  over  the  whole  city  during  the  fall  and  winter 
months,  left  a  most  decided  impression  on  the  minds  of  all  the 
young  men  who  were  at  the  Seminary  studying  for  the  minis- 
try. It  was  regarded  by  the  professors  as  a  year  of  revival 
within  the  Seminary  itself.  The  revival  meetings  did  not  inter- 
fere with  the  regular  order  for  study  and  lecture  at  the  Semi- 
nary, but  the  students  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity 
of  attending  the  evening  services  at  the  great  tabernacle,  where 


1881-1883.  NEW  PROFESSORS  AND  BUILDINGS.  347 

they  heard  the  soul  inspiring  gospel  songs  under  the  leadership 
of  Mr.  Sankey  and  the  thrilling  gospel  sermons  delivered  by 
Mr.  Moody  to  the  vast  congregations  there  assembled.  In  the 
life  of  the  young  ministers  preparing  for  their  great  work  it 
was  an  occasion  fraught  with  the  deepest  interest  of  the  soul, 
an  occasion  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Under  these  strong  influences  the  students  felt  their  spiritual 
graces  greatly  revived  and ,  strengthened.  They  seemed  to 
catch  a  new  inspiration  calling  them  to  the  sacred  office,  and  to 
feel  a  new  baptism  of  the  Spirit  impelling  them  to  reconsecrate 
their  lives  to  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel.  Some  of  them 
took  part  in  the  meetings/for  prayer  and  inquiry  held  at  the 
great  tabernacle  after  the  public  services  of  the  evening. 
Some  of  them  conducted  meetings  for  prayer  and  exhortation 
which  were  gathered  in  the  homes  of  Christian  families  every 
week  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Seminary.  Those  of  the 
students  who  went  to  their  homes  at  the  Christmas  holidays 
carried  the  reviv^al  influences  with  them  and  soon  became 
earnestly  engaged  with  their  pastors  in  conducting  religious 
services  in  the  churches  to  which  they  had  gone,  which  meet- 
ings were  continued  with  increasing  interest  during  the  whole 
Week  of  Prayer.  In  fact,  the  students  became  so  much 
engaged  in  preaching  and  evangelical  services  in  these  home 
churches  that  for  several  weeks  after  the  holidays  had  ended 
they  found  the  love  of  active  service  so  strong  upon  them  that 
it  was  difficult  to  tear  themselves  away  and  return  to  their 
studies  in  the  Seminary.  This  whole  revival  season  was  a 
remarkable  one,  and  all  who  had  come  under  its  quickening 
power  have  ever  since  remembered  it  as  one  of  the  most  con- 
secrated and  blessed  epochs  in  their  experience. 

The  inspiring  scenes  of  a  genuine  revival  of  religion  such  as 
this  was  at  the  great  tabernacle,  extending  through  weeks  and 
months,  and  exerting  its  influence  over  a  great  city,  when 
large  numbers  of  men  and  women  were  turned  from  the  paths 
of  sin  and  constrained  to  give  themselves  to  the  service  of 
Christ,  and  when  hundreds  and  thousands  of  professing  Chris- 
tians felt  the  strongest  influence  impelling  to  a  higher  and 
holier  life,  are  events  which  no  man  can  pass  through  or  even 


348  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

witness  without  carrying  with  him  a  lasting  impression  on  his 
character.  This  was  especially  true  of  the  young  ministers  or 
candidates  for  the  ministry,  preparing  to  preach  the  gospel. 
That  the  young  men  in  the  Seminary  during  the  Moody  meet- 
ings of  the  winter  of  1876- 1877  did  feel  deeply  these  quickening 
revival  influences  was  evident  at  the  time  to  their  teachers,  and 
has  been  evinced  subsequently  by  their  zealous  and  successful 
ministerial  labors  where  God  has  called  them.  It  was  not  a 
small  or  casual  thing  to  those  who  were  soon  to  enlist  heart 
and  soul  in  the  same  great  work  of  saving  souls  that  God 
should  have  cast  their  lot  in  a  training  school  of  Christ  where 
they  could  be  witnesses  of  the  power  of  the  gospel  as  preached 
by  these  zealous  and  holy  men  of  God,  and  that  they  should 
be  brought  into  personal  contact  with  teachers  and  evangel- 
ists so  successful  in  winning  souls  for  Christ.  The  writer 
has  always  looked  upon  it  as  a  reason  for  profound  grati- 
tude to  God  that  in  the  early  years  of  his  own  ministry 
he  was  thrown  into  close  contact  with  eminent  revivalists 
of  a  former  generation,  and  had  the  privilege  of  hearing 
the  thrilling  revival  sermons  and  marking  the  revival  measures 
of  such  masters  in  Israel  as  Dr.  Asahel  Nettleton,  Dr.  Daniel 
Baker,  Dr.  Nathan  H.  Hall  of  Kentucky  and  Dr.  Robert  Nail 
of  Alabama,  and  he  has  always  been  filled  with  a  glow  of 
delight  when  the  students  of  the  theological  seminaries  could 
have  the  opportunity  of  hearing  the  distinguished  evangelical 
preachers  and  revivalists  of  the  present  time. 

Before  leaving  this  part  of  the  history  it  is  proper  that 
mention  should  be  made  of  the  decease  of  a  very  prominent 
minister  of  our  Church,  who  was  connected  with  our  Seminary 
from  its  opening  at  Chicago,  being  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  its  Board  of  Directors.  This  was  Rev.  Robert  Clay- 
ton Matthews,  D.D.,  of  Monmouth,  111.,  who  from  the  first 
felt  a  lively  interest  in  the  success  of  the  institution  and  was 
most  faithful  in  attending  the  annual  meetings  of  the  Board. 
His  name  deserves  honorable  record  in  these  pages  as  being 
one  of  three  brothers  who  all  entered  the  ministry  of  our 
Church  and  who  lived  long  to  adorn  its  annals,  and  as  being 
also  the  youngest  son  of  the  venerable   Dr.  John   Matthews, 


1^81-1883.  NEW  PROFESSORS  AND  BUILDINGS.  349 

with  whom  as  professor  of  Theology  the  Seminary  first  opened 
its  doors  at  Hanover  in  1830.  He  was  also  an  alumnus  of  the 
institution  while  it  was  at  New  Albany,  entering  the  class  of 
1849  ^'^''d  being  graduated  in  185 1. 

Robert  C.  Matthews  was  born  in  1822,  at  Shepherdstown, 
Va.,  where  the  first  eight  years  of  his  life  were  passed.  Coming 
with  his  father's  family  to  Hanover,  Ind.,  in  1830,  he  there 
received  a  classical  education  and  prepared  for  the  legal  pro- 
fession, which  he  entered  in  1842.  He  removed  first  to  Iowa, 
and  then  to  Mississippi,  spending  some  time  in  teaching.  In 
1847  he  was  savingly  converted,  which  led  him  to  change  the 
whole  plan  of  his  life.  He  then  resolved  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  gospel  ministry,  and  spent  the  three  years  following  in 
the  theological  seminary.  After  being  licensed  to  preach,  he 
visited  some  of  the  churches  of  Illinois,  and  about  the  close  of 
185 1  accepted  a  call  from  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Mon- 
mouth in  that  state  to  become  its  pastor.  The  pastoral  rela- 
tion was  formed  between  him  and  this  congregation  in  1852, 
and  continued  unbroken  as  long  as  he  lived. 

When  the  General  Assembly  of  1859  accepted  the  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest  from  the  seven  synods  and  appointed  a 
new  Board  of  Directors,  Dr.  Matthews  was  one  of  the  members 
then  elected.  He  accepted  the  position,  :and  was  continued  in 
it  by  successive  reappointments  by  the  Assembly  every  four 
years,  until  1871,  when  his  name  was  displaced  with  some 
others,  in  order  to  equalize  the  number  of  directors  between 
those  who  had  been  in  the  two  separate  branches  of  the 
Church.  But  for  the  whole  twelve  years  of  his  continued  ser- 
vice Dr.  Matthews  had  always  been  a  most  efficient  working 
member  of  the  directory,  contributing  much  by  his  faithful 
attendance,  his  judicial  counsel  and  his  genial  Christian  spirit 
to  the  success  of  the  institution.  The  Seminary  owes  a  debt 
of  grateful  remembrance  to  those  early  friends  and  helpers 
who  in  the  days  of  its  weakness  and  trials,  and  with  personal 
sacrifices,  stood  steadfastly  by  it,  and  Dr.  Matthews  was  one 
of  them. 

Dr.  Matthews  was  twice  married.     In  1847  he  married  Miss 
Louisa  Martin,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  William  W.  Martin,  of  Indi- 


350  HISTORY  OF  .McCORMlCK  SEMhNARY. 

ana.  She  died  in  1849,  leaving  two  children.  In  1852  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Isabella  Ickes,  who  with  six  children  survived  him. 
He  was  greatly  blessed  in  each  of  these  unions.  After  a  most 
successful  pastorate  of  nearly  thirty  years,  he  died  at  Mon- 
mouth in  November,  1881,  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  and 
among  the  people  of  this,  his  first  and  only  pastoral  charge. 
He  was  in  his  sixtieth  year.  Dr.  Matthews  was  a  model  pastor 
and  a  noble  type  of  the  true  Christian  minister.  He  possessed 
in  rare  combination  all  those  social  and  spiritual  qualities  which 
attach  a  people  to  their  minister.  In  his  long  unbroken  pas- 
torate he  acquired  an  ascendancy  over  his  congregation  and 
won  a  place  in  their  hearts  which  few  pastors  have  ever  sur- 
passed. By  his  consistent,  holy  life,  by  his  earnest  Christian 
spirit  and  by  his  fine  pulpit  talents,  he  had  also  won,  in  the 
estimation  of  all  who  knew  him,  a  position  of  wide  influence 
in  the  pulpit. 


REV.  THOMAS  H.  SKLNNER,   D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


CHAPTER     XXIII. 

Mccormick  hall  erected. 

1883-1884. 


The  Session  of  1883- 1884.  New  Professors  Inaugurated.  Increase  of 
Students.  More  Room  Needed.  New  Dormitory  Demanded.  Mr.  McCor- 
mick's  Position.  He  favors  the  Plan  of  Enlargement.  The  Corner  Stone 
Laid.  Appropriate  Services.  Paper  from  Mr.  McCormick.  He  Appre- 
ciates the  Necessity  of  a  Large  Building.  Agrees  to  Bear  the  Whole 
Expense.  Approach  of  a  Brighter  Day.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 
Tribute  to  Mr.  McCormick.  Called  McCormick  Hall.  The  Building 
Finished.  Occupied  by  Students  at  the  Opening  of  the  Session.  Services 
of  the  Dedication.  Mr.  McCormick  Did  not  Live  to  See  It.  Interest  of  the 
Occasion.  Address  by  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.  Keys  of  the  Building. 
President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  Replies.  Other  Services.  Telegram 
from  Mrs.  McCormick.  Addresses  by  Dr.  John  Hall  and  Professor  L.  J. 
Halsey. 

At  the  Opening  of  the  Seminary  year  in  September,  1883, 
Rev.  David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  previously  elected  professor  of 
New  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis,  and  Rev.  Herrick 
Johnson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  elected  professor  of  Sacred  Rhetoric 
and  Pastoral  Theology,  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  of  their  respective  professorships.  They  were  not 
formally  inaugurated  until  the  annual  meeting  of  the  direc- 
tors in  April,  1884,  at  the  close  of  the  Seminary  session. 
Their  induction  into  the  offices  to  which  they  had  been 
chosen  then  took  place,  Avith  appropriate  religious  services,  in 
the  presence  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  in  the  Fourth  Presby- 
terian church  of  Chicago,  on  the  evening  of  April  3d,  1884. 
Each  of  the  professors  delivered  an  inaugural  address,  sub- 
scribed the  constitution  of  the  Seminary  and  received  the 
usual  charge  from  the  presiding  officer  of  the  Board. 

When,  however,  the  session  of  1883- 1884  had   fairly  begun, 

351 


352  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

it  was  apparent  that  the  number  of  students  in  attendance  was 
beyond  the  capacity  of  the  one  dormitory  building  of  the 
institution  to  accommodate  them.  The  catalogue  of  the  year 
showed  an  attendance  of  five  resident  graduates,  thirteen  in  the 
senior  class,  thirteen  in  the  middle  class  and  twenty-eight  in 
the  junior  class,  a  total  of  fifty-nine,  while  the  old  dormi- 
tory building  had  only  about  forty  sleeping  rooms,  each 
intended  for  a  single  student.  This  large  increase,  which  had 
scarcely  been  anticipated  as  coming  so  soon,  had  to  be  pro- 
vided for  as  best  the  faculty  could,  both  by  doubling  the  num- 
ber of  occupants  in  some  of  the  larger  rooms  and  by  finding- 
accommodations  for  the  students  in  the  dwellings  of  families 
in  the  neighborhood  at  considerable  additional  expense. 

It  was  clear  to  all  that  a  pressing  emergency  had  come, 
such  as  had  never  come  before  in  the  entire  history  of  the 
institution.  The  Seminary  had  suddenly  grown  beyond  its 
capacity,  not  its  capacity  to  teach,  but  its  capacity  to  accom- 
modate its  students.  It  was  an  emergency  which  had  to  be 
met  and  met  at  once.  It  would  not  do  to  wait  even  another 
year.  Delay  would  be  dangerous,  and  might  be  ruinous  to  all 
the  highest  interests  of  the  school.  The  problem  of  all  future 
growth  and  development  seemed  to  be  bound  up  in  the 
promptness  with  which  this  new  and  large  demand  for  more 
room  should  be  answered.  The  faculty  fully  grasped  the  situ- 
ation. The  executive  committee  and  trustees  grasped  it  also. 
Fortunately  for  the  institution,  Mr.  McCormick  saw  what  was 
needed  and  was  willing  to  do  his  part  in  meeting  the  new 
demand. 

Mr.  McCormick  had  not  at  first  any  expectation  or  purpose 
of  furnishing  alone  the  large  amount  of  funds  needed  for  a  new 
dormitory.  It  would  of  course  require  a  large  outlay  to  erect 
such  a  building  as  seemed  now  demanded  by  the  largely 
increased  number  of  students.  All  former  estimates  were  now 
manifestly  too  narrow,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  Seminary 
needed  an  edifice  which  in  capacity  and  in  cost  must  go  far 
beyond  anything  as  yet  erected  on  the  Seminary  grounds.  Its 
cost  would  inevitably  run  up  not  to  thousands  alone,  but  to 
tens  of  thousands,  if  the  pressing  want  was  to  be  at   all  ade- 


1S83-1884.  Mccormick  hall  erected.  355 

quately  supplied.  As  Mr.  McCormIck  had  during  the  preced- 
ing two  years  already  contributed  the  sum  of  $39,000  in 
erecting  four  houses  for  the  professors,  it  was  hardly  to  be 
expected  that  he  would  bear  the  whole  financial  burden  of  the 
new  dormitory  now  needed.  But  seeing  the  pressing  want, 
and  grasping  the  full  significance  of  this  new  emergency,  he 
said  to  the  faculty  and  to  the  trustees  and  directors  that  the 
house  must  be  built ;  and,  though  suffering  from  bodily  infirm- 
ity and  a  part  of  the  time  absent  from  home,  he  authorized 
all  parties  concerned  to  go  forward  with  the  work  and  be 
assured  he  was  w^ith  them  in  it  heart  and  soul  and  that  he 
would  bear  his  full  share  of  the  burden. 

With  such  assurances  and  with  such  substantial  backinsr,  a 
building  committee  was  appointed,  architects  and  contractors 
were  employed,  and  the  faculty  and  trustees  lost  no  time  in 
laying,  in  the  autumn  of  1883,  the  foundations  of  a  massive 
building  of  stone  and  brick,  130  feet  long  by  40  wide,  five 
stories  high,  and  ample  to  accommodate  some  fifty  or  sixty 
students.  This  was  the  third  public  edifice  erected  on  the 
grounds;  in  cost  and  elegance,  in  size  and  completeness,  and  in 
perfect  adaptation  to  all  its  purposes  it  was  far  in  advance  of 
its  predecessors.  In  it  provision  was  made  for  a  spacious  par- 
lor and  reception  room  at  one  end.  But  it  was  intended 
mainly  for  the  study  and  sleeping  rooms  of  the  students,  and 
these  were  fitted  up  throughout  in  a  style  of  comfort  and 
convenience  equal  to  that  found  in  any  seminary  in  our  land. 

The  work  of  laying  the  foundations  and  of  raising  the  base- 
ment walls  of  this  massive  building  was  pushed  forward  with 
the  utmost  energy  during  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1883. 
The  basement  was  of  dressed  stone,  and  it  was  so  far  advanced 
aa  to  be  ready  for  the  formal  ceremony  of  depositing  the  cor- 
ner stone  on  January  29th,  1884.  The  corner  stone  had  on  its 
face  the  inscription  ''  Erected  by  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  1883.'* 
By  this  time  it  was  pretty  well  understood  that  it  was  Mr. 
McCormick's  intention  to  bear  the  whole  expense  of  the 
edifice.  He  was  unable  to  be  present  at  the  laying  of  the* 
corner  stone.  After  an  introductory  prayer  by  Rev.  A.  G. 
Wilson,  D.D.,  the  stone  was  placed  in  position  by  the  Hon.  R. 


354  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

B.  Mason,  president  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  who  delivered  a 
brief  address  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  The  audience  then 
assembled  in  the  chapel  of  the  Seminary  for  other  services, 
which  were  opened  v  ith  a  prayer  by  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner. 
The  senior  professor  of  the  faculty,  Dr.  LeRoy  J.  Halsey,  then 
delivered  an  address  outlining  briefly  the  history  of  the  several 
seminaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  particularly  the 
successive  stages  through  which  the  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west had  passed  to  its  present  prosperous  condition.  This 
was  followed  by  other  addresses  by  Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore, 
Rev.  H.  D.  Ganse,  D.D.,  and  Dr.  W.  C.  Gray,  editor  of  "  The 
Interior,"  all  expressing  great  satisfaction  at  the  enlargement 
of  the  Seminary. 

But  the  circumstance  around  which  the  chief  interest  of  the 
occasion  seemed  to  center  was  a  communication  from  Mr. 
McCormick,  read  at  the  meeting  by  his  son,  Cyrus  Hall 
McCormick,  Jr.,  representing  his  father.  The  address  deserves 
to  be  permanently  preserved,  not  only  because  of  its  words  of 
strong  faith  and  encouragemicnt  touching  the  Seminary,  but 
because  those  characteristic  words,  as  the  sequel  proved,  were 
his  last  public  utterances  about  the  institution  which  he  had 
loved  so  well  and  for  which  he  had  done  so  much. 

On  being  introduced  to  the  audience  by  the  presiding 
officer,  Mr.  McCormick  said: 

•'  It  is  a  source  of  regret,  Mr.  President,  that  my  father,  who 
had  hoped  to  be  present  with  us,  has  been  prevented  from 
doing  so  by  the  inclemency  of  the  day,  and  he  has  therefore 
requested  me  to  read  for  him  a  few  remarks  which  he  expected 
to  have  made  in  person.     He  says: 

**  I  appear  before  you  on  the  present  occasion  at  the  request 
of  the  faculty  of  this  institution.  I  endeavored  to  excuse 
myself  from  doing  so  on  the  ground  that  there  are  present 
with  us  the  faculty  and  other  interested  friends,  who  are 
depended  upon  for  the  speaking.  But  they  have  been  unwill- 
ing to  relieve  me  from  saying  something  on  the  important 
occasion  which  has  brought  us  together. 

*'  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  at  this  time  to  refer  to  the  suc- 
cessive steps  which,   under  Providence,  have  brought   us  far 


1883-1884.  Mccormick  hall  erected.  355 

towards  the  fulfillment  of  our  hopes  and  expectations  in  con- 
nection with  the  development  and  increasing  usefulness  of  this 
institution,  for  these  are  familiar  to  all  who  have  known  its 
annals.  The  laying  of  this  corner  stone  marks  an  epoch  in  our 
history.  It  means  renewed  vigor  in  the  growth  and  progress 
of  this  great  work,  that  the  pressure  now  manifestly  upon  us  in 
the  largely  increased  number  of  young  men  who  are  already 
knocking  at  our  doors  compels  the  movement  which  is  now 
being  inaugurated.  The  fact  that  more  than  forty  new 
students  came  to  us  at  the  beginning  of  this  collegiate  year 
clearly  indicates  the  continued  prosperity  which  we  have 
reason  to  hope  for.  In  this  connection  I  cannot  but  express 
the  gratitude  and  satisfaction  which  must  be  felt  by  all  in 
having  professors  so  able  and  devoted,  who  have  entered  with 
such  zeal  and  enthusiasm  upon  the  work  committed  to  their 
hands. 

"  Our  position  seems  wisely  chosen  in  this  great  metropolis, 
so  far-reaching  and  commanding  as  it  is,  in  this  great  western 
field  which  is  so  rapidly  being  extended  and  increased  in  popu- 
lation and  influence.  The  good  will  and  co-operation  of 
synods  and  presbyteries,  ministers  and  churches,  have  been  so 
fully  manifested,  and  the  position  which  the  institution  has 
gained  in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  colleges  of  the  land 
and  the  whole  Church  of  the  Northwest  is  so  prominent  and 
secure,  that  I  cannot  but  regard  its  future  as  most  promising. 
It  should  be  worthy  of  our  denomination  in  every  respect,  and 
I  am  confident  that,  under  Providence,  if  wisely  directed  and 
rightly  served,  it  will  prove  a  great  blessing  to  our  country 
and  to  the  world.  The  one  end  and  object  of  all  the  gifts  and 
struggles  and  prayers  that  have  marked  the  course  of  this 
mstitution  is  the  preparation  of  men  to  preach  the  gospel,  and 
to  accomplish  this  best  must  still  be  our  single  aim;  and  I 
earnestly  hope  that  this  Seminary  will  more  and  more  secure 
the  confidence  of  the  Christian  youth  of  this  great  region,  and 
that  they  will  come  here  to  lay  the  foundation  for  the  sacred 
work  of  the  m.inistry. 

"  The  present  condition  and  prospects  of  the  Seminary 
should  be  a  cause  for  thankfulness,  and  we  hope  that  the  light 


356  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

of  truth  may  rest  upon  its  teachers  and  its  students,  and  that  it 
may  be  distinguished  for  its  fidehty  to  the  standards  of  the 
reunited  Church,  You  well  know  my  deep  and  unflagging 
interest  in  it  during  the  past,  having  from  the  days  of  our 
beginning  never  doubted  that  success  would  ultimately  reward 
our  e'fforts,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  rejoice  with  me  on  this  occa- 
sion, when  the  night  may  fairly  be  said  to  have  given  place  to 
the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day  than  any  which  has  hitherto  shone 
upon  us." 

All  the  friends  of  the  Seminary,  especially  the  older  direc- 
tors and  trustees  and  the  one  remaining  professor  of  the  past, 
Dr.  Halsey,  who  had  been  with  the  institution  through  all  its 
changes,  felt  the  force  of  these  hopeful  words  of  Mr.  McCor- 
mick  and  rejoiced  with  him  in  the  near  approach  of  the 
"  brighter  day."  This  assuring  message  from  Mr.  McCormick 
was  rendered  doubly  impressive  when  but  a  few  days  later  he 
made  known  to  the  trustees  and  executive  committee  that 
it  was  his  purpose  to  assume  the  whole  responsibility  of  paying 
for  the  fine  new  building  and  to  make  it  an  out  and  out  dona- 
tion to  the  Seminary. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April,  1884,  a 
committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  T.  H.  Cleland,  D.D.,  and  Messrs. 
T.  D.  Davis  and  C.  H.  Merritt,  was  appointed  to  draft  a  minute 
expressive  of  the  obligations  of  the  Board  to  Mr.  McCormick 
for  his  recent  large  contributions  in  erecting  four  dwelling- 
houses  for  the  professors  and  this  spacious  and  finely  appointed 
dormitory  for  the  students.  The  committee  found  that  the 
Board  of  Trustees  had  already  passed  a  resolution  of  thanks  to 
Mr.  McCormick  and  they  thereupon  reported  the  following 
paper,  which  was  adopted  as  the  joint  action  of  the  two 
Boards: 

"  We  recommend  that  the  directors  adopt  as  their  own  and 
unite  with  the  trustees  in  their  action  already  taken,  viz.  : 

'  The  directors  and  trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Seminary 
of  the  Northwest,  in  accepting  in  its  behalf  the  latest  magnifi- 
cent gift  of  over  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  the  Hon. 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick  to  the  institution,  hereby  record  their 
high  appreciation  of  the  generous"  spirit  in  which  he  has  inter- 


1883-1884.  Mccormick  hall  erected.  357 

posed  to  enable  the  Seminary  to  open  wide  its  doors  to  the 
increasing  number  of  young  men  seeking  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel.  We  regard  this  act  as  not  only  most  timely,  but  also 
as  a  crowning  evidence  of  the  good  hand  of  God  with  his  ser- 
vant, who  has  blessed  him  not  only  with  the  ability,  but  with 
the  disposition  to  serve  in  so  signal  a  manner  his  divine  Lord 
and  Master.  We  congratulate  Mr.  McCormickon  the  blessings 
of  a  kind  providence  which  has  so  remarkably  owned  and  hon- 
ored his  persistent  faith  and  deeds  of  charity  to  this  noble  and 
commanding  institution,  with  which  his  name  must  be  ever 
associated.  By  his  gifts  to  the  endowment  of  the  chairs  of  the 
institution,  to  the  erection  of  four  houses  for  the  homes  of  the 
professors  and  to  the  large  and  beautiful  dormitory  which  is 
being  erected,  amounting  to  more  than  three  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  he  has  reared  a  m.emorial  to  his  fidelity  and  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  which  will  endear 
his  name  to  coming  generations.  His  praise  will  be  in  the 
churches,  not  only  in  this  but  in  all  lands.  And  we  do  hereby 
ask  of  Mr.  McCormick  the  privilege  of  placing  a  tablet  on  the 
building  now  being  erected,  with  the  inscription  '  McCormick 
Hall/"- 

After  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  the  work  on  the  build- 
ing was  resumed  and  went  forward  without  interruption  during 
the  spring  and  summer.  In  the  meantime  a  large  sum  was 
raised  from  individuals  and  churches,  through  the  efficient 
efforts  of  Rev.  Josiah  Milligan,  to  completely  fit  out  the  build- 
ing with  all  needed  furniture.  Thus  the  new  edifice  was  ready 
for  occupancy  by  the  opening  of  the  session  in  the  first  week 
of  September,  1884,  and  it  was  at  once  filled  with  students. 
This  was  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  establishment  of 
the  institution  at  Chicago,  the  forty-fourth  of  the  opening 
at  New  Albany  in  1840,  and  the  fifty-fourth  of  its  first  organi- 
zation at  Hanover  in  1830.  The  erection  of  the  spacious, 
massive  and  elegant  structure,  with  its  deep  foundations  and 
its  imposing  front,  might  indeed  well  mark  an  epoch  in  the 
long  history.  It  was  the  completion  of  the  work  of  toil  and 
struggle,  of  patience  and  self-denial,  and  it  marked  the  round- 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  355-357- 


358  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

ing  out  of  the  institution's  quarter  of  a  century  of  life  at  Chi- 
cago. It  was  a  fitting  termination  of  the  period,  and  it  was  the 
appropriate  indication  and  inauguration  of  a  new  departure  for 
the  future.  It  was  both  a  memorial  of  past  struggles  and  a 
guaranty  of  future  success. 

Mr.  McCormick,  who  had  taken  so  keen  an  interest  in  the 
inception  of  this  work  of  building  the  new  hall,  did  not  live  to 
see  the  new  house  finished.  In  April  of  1884,  at  the  time  of 
the  meeting  of  the  Board,  he  had  looked  forward  to  its  early 
completion  with  much  satisfaction.  It  was  his  strong  desire 
that  he  m.ight  be  spared  to  see  the  finished  building  and  its 
formal  dedication  to  the  services  of  the  Seminary.  No  one  of 
his  friends,  nor  his  family  at  that  time,  had  any  idea  that  his 
earthly  course  was  so  nearly  run.  He  had  long  been  a  patient 
sufferer  under  increasing  bodily  infirmities.  But  his  constitu- 
tion was  a  vigorous  one,  his  mental  faculties  were  all  strong 
and  clear,  and  the  prospect  was  that  he  would  be  spared  for 
years  of  continued  usefulness.  But  in  the  May  following,  in 
great  confidence  and  peace,  he  passed  to  his  home  above. 

It  was' arranged  by  the  faculty  and  the  trustees  that  the  ser- 
vices on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  the  new  edifice 
should  be  held  at  the  Seminary  on  the  evening  of  October  14th, 
1884,  in  connection  with  a  social  entertainment,  to  which  a 
large  number  of  interested  friends  at  home  and  guests  from  a 
distance  had  been  invited.  The  occasion  proved  to  be  an  emi- 
nently successful  and  enjoyable  one.  It  was  the  third  event 
of  the  kind  which,  in  the  course  of  twenty-five  years,  had  been 
celebrated  on  the  Seminary  grounds  with  dedicatory  ceremo- 
nies, and  it  far  surpassed  in  public  interest  those  that  had  gone 
before.  McCormick  Hall,  with  the  name  of  its  munificent 
donor  on  its  broad  front,  coming  after  the  chapel  of 
1874,  as  that  had  followed  the  original  dormitory  of  1863, 
at  nearly  equal  intervals,  was  now  formally  presented  to 
the  directors  and  trustees  and  dedicated  to  its  sacred 
uses.  There  was  no  designed  illumination  on  the  pro- 
gramme, but,  all  the  rooms  of.  the  imposing  structure  being 
occupied  by  students,  every  part  of  the  various  buildings 
composmg  the   Seminary  group  was  fully   lighted,  and  thus 


m^w-:, 


< 

X 
u 

S 

O 

u 

u 


1883-1884.  Mccormick  hall  erected.  359 

through  the  darkness  presented  a  very  brilliant  appearance. 
The  halls  and  parlors  were  crowded  at  an  early  hour  with  a 
highly  appreciative  and  well-pleased  assemblage.  As  many  as 
could  find  sitting  or  standing  room  filled  the  large  parlor  of 
the  new  building,  while  nearly  an  equal  number  in  the  corri- 
dors awaited  the  opening  of  the  services  of  dedication. 

At  seven  o'clock  Professor  David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  the  pre- 
siding officer  of  the  faculty,  opened  the  services  by  presenting 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.,  who  delivered  the  following  address, 
and  at  its  close  tendered  to  the  Board  of  Directors  the  keys  of 
the  building: 

"  Mr.  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  :  It  would  be  to 
me  a  source  of  infinite  joy  if  he  who  planned  the  erection  of 
this  building,  whose  heart  responded  eagerly  to  the  oppor- 
tunity here  afforded  of  extending  the  great  work  with  which 
he  had  been  so  closely  connected,  could  be  here  to  participate 
in  the  formal  consummation  of  the  plans  he  had  made  so  many 
years  ago.  But  an  all-wise  Providence,  who  sustained  his  life 
until  the  result  was  assured,  has  seen  fit  to  call  him  from  our 
midst,  and  we  can  but  say,  in  deepest  sorrow,  '  Thy  will  be 
done.' 

"  It  is  therefore  to  me  a  great  honor  to  carry  out  to-night 
the  wishes  and  desires  which  my  beloved  father  had  formed, 
in  joining  with  you  to  dedicate  this  building  to  the  work  of  the 
Lord  in  this  Seminary.  And  I  cannot  better  express  my  con- 
fidence in  and  sympathy  with  this  institution  than  by  repeat- 
ing to  you  the  words  of  my  father  on  the  occasion  of  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner  stone  of  this  very  building  nine  months  ago. 
They  were  his  last  public  expressions  about  the  Seminary,  and 
they  come  now  to  us  with  a  force  and  meaning  deepened  and 
hallowed  by  the  great  bereavement  which  has  since  occurred, 
and  as  we  now  hear  them  again  they  seem  as  if  spoken  from 
the  threshold  of  eternity." 

At  this  point  Mr.  McCormick  repeated  those  strongly 
marked  and  impressive  words  of  his  father  at  the  laying 
of  the  corner  stone,  which  have  been  given  on  a  preced- 
ing page  and  in  which  he  referred  to  "  the  dawn  of  a  brighter 
day  for  the  Seminary."     The  speaker  then  proceeded  : 


360  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

**  And  now  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day  than  earth  can  give 
has  come  to  his  eyes  and  he  has  entered  into  his  eternal  reward. 
But  it  is  for  us  to  continue  the  work  to  which  through  twenty- 
five  years  he  was  so  devoted.  On  behalf  of  my  mother,  whose 
absence  from  the  city  alone  prevents  her  presence  here  to- 
night, and  for  myself  I  feel  it  my  privilege  to  pledge  to  this 
Seminary  an  earnest  continuance  in  our  most  cordial  support. 
The  Lord  has  greatly  blessed  this  Seminary,  its  professors,  its 
students,  its  directors,  its  trustees,  its  friends,  and  with  such 
an  endowment  of  the  divine  favor  there  can  be  no  such 
condition  as  failure.  We  do  not  know  w^hat  further  blessings 
await  us,  but  if  we  uSe  wisely  that  which  has  been  committed 
unto  us  we  certainly  will  be  permitted  still  to  go  forward. 
And  in  conclusion,  Mr.  President,  I  count  it  an  honor  to  be 
able  now  to  assist  in  consummating  the  plans  of  my  father, 
and,  as  representing  him  and  on  behalf  of  my  mother,  I  tender 
to  you  the  keys  of  this  building,  with  the  prayer  that  it  may 
help  on  the  great  work  of  preparing  young  men  for  the  minis- 
try, and  thus  advance  the  cause  of  Christ's  kingdom  on  earth." 

On  receiving  the  keys,  the  president  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors, Rev.  Thomas  H.  Cleland,  D.D.,  replied  to  Mr.  McCor- 
mick  in  an  address  admirably  adapted  to  the  occasion,  but  of 
which  only  the  opening  and  closing  paragraphs  can  here  be 
given.     Dr.  Cleland  said  : 

*'  Mr.  McCormick  :  In  behalf  of  the  directors  of  the  Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  I  accept  this 
token  of  the  completion  and  transfer  of  McCormick  Hall  to  the 
custody  of  this  Board,  and,  in  giving  expression  to  the  high  sense 
of  obligation  felt  by  these  directors  for  this  munificent  offering 
of  your  father  I  desire  also  to  express  to  you,  who  have  so 
sympathetically  executed  this  great  trust,  our  warmest  thanks, 
but  more  than  all  to  give  due  praise  to  Him  who  put  it  into 
the  heart  of  your  father  to  devise  so  liberally  and  so  .wisely. 
It  had  been  in  our  hearts  at  the  very  inception  of  this  enter- 
prise, that  this  liberal  benefactor  might  be  present  to-night  to 
witness  the  consummation  of  his  long-cherished  interest  in  this 
school,  and  that  we  might  personally  express  to  him  our 
gratitude    for  his  large  beneficence.     But   God   has  provided 


1883-1S84.  Mccormick  hall  erected.  361 

some  better  thing  for  him.  He  has  transferred  him  to  a  house 
not  made  with  hands  and  to  His  presence  whose  words  '  Well 
done  '  are  worth  all  the  words  of  men. 

"The  name  that  has  been  cut  on  these  walls  will  ever  be 
inseparably  bound  with  every  future  triumph  God  may  give 
this  institution,  because  your  father  was  among  its  earliest 
promoters.  He  was  its  unwearied,  unfaltering  friend  in  all  its 
darkest  hours  of  need.  It  ever  had  a  warm  and  close  place  in 
his  heart  and  was  never  absent,  we  are  told,  from  his  prayers. 
His  name  has,  by  all  concessions,  been  engraved  with  those 
who  gave  the  largest  comfort  and  wealth  and  happiness  to  our 
modern  civilization.  He  is  among  the  few  men  of  this  country 
who  have  made  the  century  unique.  But  I  do  not  fear  to 
hazard  the  expression  of  an  opinion  that,  when  coming  ages 
shall  examine  the  motives  that  have  led  him  to  be  interested 
in  this  school,  and  the  lofty  interests  subserved  by  it,  the  testi- 
mony of  coming  ages  will  be  that  this  school  is  his  chiefest  and 
best  monument. 

"  Permit  me  then,  my  brother,  to  assure  you  on  the  part  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  of  this  Seminary,  that  we  accept  this 
trust  asking  God  to  make  us  faithful  to  it,  and  we  beg  you  to 
convey  to  her  who  was  the  companion  of  your  father  and  who 
has  ever  sympathized  so  keenly  in  all  his  benevolent  endeav- 
ors our  warmest  expressions  of  gratitude  and  our  highest 
regard.  And  let  us  to-night,  my  brother,  covenant  together  to 
have  but  one  thought  and  one  purpose  in  prayer  and  labor  for 
the  welfare  of  this  institution,  namely,  the  highest  glory  of 
God  and  the  largest  salvation  of  the  human  race." 

These  addresses  were  followed  by  the  prayer  of  dedication, 
which  w^as  offered  in  earnest,  glowing  words  by  Rev.  Hervey 
D.  Ganse,  D.D.,  after  which  Dr.  Cleland  said:  "1  do  pro- 
nounce the  McCormickHall  as  dedicated  to  the  use  and  train- 
ing of  young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry,  and  to  the  glory  of 
the  triune  God,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Spirit,  Amen." 

At  this  stage  of  the  interesting  proceedings  Professor  Her- 
rick  Johnson,  D.D.,  rose  to  present  a  brief  message  from  Mrs. 
McCormick,  who  was  absent  in  New  York  and  unable  to 
attend  this  ceremony  of  dedication.     Dr.  Johnson  said: 


362   *  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

"  May  I  be  allowed  a  word  ?  It  would  be  an  exceeding  hap- 
piness to-night  to  hear  from  one  to  whom  reference  has  been 
made  so  frequently,  one  who  stood  lovingly  beside  Mr.  McCor- 
mick  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  one  whose  heart  beat 
with  his  heart,  who  shared  with  him  his  joys  and  sorrows,  his 
trials,  his  triumphs,  especially  his  ambitions  and  aspirations  in 
connection  with  this  beloved  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  Mrs. 
McCormick.  The  institution  always  found  in  her  a  warm, 
tender,  sympathetic  and  appreciative  interest,  and  I  do  not 
wonder  at  the  frequent  allusions  made  to  her  to-night  in  con- 
nection with  her  honored  husband.  She  has  sent  on  the  wings 
of  the  lightning  a  message  to  us,  which  I  am  sure  you  will  be 
greatly  gratified  to  hear. 

*  Richfield  Springs,  October  14,  1884. 

I  regret  extremely  I  cannot  be  present  with  you  this  aus- 
picious day  that  witnesses  the  fulfillment  of  many  of  my 
husband's  highest  hopes.  The  ability  of  its  faculty  and  the 
devotion  of  its  friends  guarantee  the  future  of  the  Seminary. 

Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick.' " 

This  pleasant  and  assuring  telegram  from  Mrs.  McCormick 
was  followed  by  a  little  episode,  which  consisted  in  the  pre- 
sentation of  two  portraits  intended  to  occupy  places  on  the 
walls  of  the  new  and  elegant  parlor  in  which  the  audience 
was  then  assembled,  and  which  were  already  adorned  by  fine 
portraits  of  Mr.  McCormick,  Dr.  N.  L.  Rice  and  others.  The 
one  w^as  a  picture  of  Dr.  Erasmus  D.  MacMaster,  professor 
of  Theology  in  the  Seminary  in  1866,  a  man  whom  Dr.  Mar- 
quis on  receiving  the  likeness  characterized  as  ''  one  who 
never  feared  the  face  of  man  and  who  never  swerved  from 
his  convictions  of  truth  and  duty."  It  was  a  gift  to  the  Semi- 
nary from  two  ladies  in  Ohio — sisters — Mrs.  Maxwell  and 
Mrs.  Brownley. 

The  other  was  a  portrait  of  Professor  LeRoy  J.  Halsey, 
recently  painted  for  the  students  and  alumni  of  the  Seminary, 
and  now  presented,  in  their  name,  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Nicholls  of 
the  middle  class  in  a  neat  and  complimentary  little  speech,  as 
a  fitting  tribute  to  "one  who  has  been  teaching  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century  in  our  institution  and  whose  zeal  and  labor  have 


1883-1^84.  Mccormick  hall  erected.  363 

contributed  so  much  to  bring  it  to  its  present  standing."  In 
response  to  Mr.  Nicholls  Dr.  Marquis  said  : 

"  In  behalf  of  the  faculty  of  this  Seminary  it  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  accept  this  gift.  Especially  is  it  grateful  and  pleas- 
ant to  myself  that  we  shall  have  through  all  the  years  to  come 
this  faithful  likeness  of  one  at  whose  feet  I  sat  as  a  student  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago.  In  this  same  institution  through  all 
these  years,  as  has  been  said,  he  has  been  faithful  to  its  inter- 
ests, and  it  is  our  hope  that  the  years  that  remain  to  him  will 
be  spent  in  loving  service  in  connection  with  the  institution 
which  he  has  loved  so  long  and  served  so  well." 

The  audience  then,  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Marquis,  repaired 
to  the  Seminary  chapel,  where,  after  singing  the  hymn  '*  Glori- 
ous things  of  thee  are  spoken,  Zion,  city  of  our  God,"  two 
other  addresses  were  delivered,  one  by  Dr.  John  Hall  of  New 
York  and  the  other  by  Dr.  Halsey.  Dr.  Hall's  remarks  were 
able  and  eloquent,  and  highly  appreciated  by  the  large  audi- 
ence who  had  come  to  hear  him.  They  cannot  be  given  here 
in  full.  But  the  opening  paragraphs,  so  pertinent  to  the  occa- 
sion, and  so  full  of  sympathy  with  it,  may  serve  to  indicate 
the  spirit  of  the  whole  discourse.     Dr.  Hall  said: 

"  Dear  Christian  Friends :  I  think  it  is  hardly  necessary  for 
me  to  say  that  I  am  conscious  of  mingled  feelings,  I  may  say 
almost  opposing  feelings,  when  I  stand  in  this  place.  I  sym- 
pathize with  you  in  the  deep  satisfaction  you  have  in  the  com- 
pletion of  this  important  part  of  a  great  undertaking.  But  I 
also  feel  keenly  the  regret  which  many  of  you  I  doubt  not 
feel  that  in  the  providence  of  God  he  is  not  with  us  whose 
name  is  placed  in  perpetuity  on  the  front  of  this  building.  In 
view  of  this,  I  am  very  glad  that  I  am  not  expected  to  make  a 
lengthened  and  still  less  an  elaborate  address,  nor  to  do  much 
more  than  give  expression  to  what  is  far  larger  than  my  own 
sympathy,  the  sympathy  of  a  great  body  of  Christian  people 
all  over  the  country  with  that  great  and  noble  undertaking 
that  God  has  so  richly  blessed  already  in  your  hands. 

"  I  do  not  make  any  apology  for  being  here,  for  I  hav« 
been  very  earnestly  urged  by  the  brethren  who  have  the  teach- 
ing work  in  their  hands;  a  kind  communication  and  telegram 


364  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

reached  me  in  London  upon  this  subject.  I  can  think  of  two 
sets  of  reasons ^why  I  should  be  permitted  to  be  here  to-night, 
the  first  of  these  being  ahnost  wholly  personal.  During  some 
years  the  family  whose  name  has  been  so  frequently  men- 
tioned worshiped  in  the  church  in  New  York  which  it  is  my 
duty  to  serve,  and  as  the  minister  I  was  brought  into  frequent 
pleasant,  and  to  me  encouraging,  intercourse  with  the  family. 
I  had  occasion  to  see  them  in  the  midst  of  great  joy,  happiness 
and  prosperity.  But  there  is  no  prosperity,  dear  friends,  that 
exempts  its  possessors  from  the  serious  bereavements  of  this 
life,  and  it  was  my  duty  to  be  with  them  when  shadows  were 
hanging  over  the  family. 

"  So  I  came  to  know  them  ;  so  I  came  to  appreciate  their 
worth  ;  so  I  came  to  love  them.  And  these  feelings  have 
been  deepened  and  intensified  by  the  intercourse  of  subse- 
quent years.  When  allusion  was  made  again  to-night  to  Mrs. 
McCormick  I  could  well  understand  why  it  should  be  made. 
To  a  noble  husband  she  has  been  a  gracious  and  continual 
inspiration  through  all  these  years,  and  I  am  thankful  to  God 
that  there  is  a  prospect  of  her  being  spared  for  a  great  many 
years  to  see  the  harvest  of  good  come  up  and  ripen  where  she 
was  permitted  to  witness  the  sowing  of  the  seed  in  the  midst 
of  many  cares  and  many  solicitudes ;  I  cannot  trust  myself  to 
speak  more  upon  that  matter." 

Dr.  Hall  then  proceeded  to  point  out  the  second  reason  for 
his  hearty  participation  in  this  dedication  service,  less  per- 
sonal and  of  a  more  public  character,  it  being  that  he  was,  in 
the  ordering  of  Providence,  the  successor  in  the  pastorate  at 
New  York  of  those  noble  men,  Drs.  Nathan  L.  Rice  and 
James  W.  Alexander,  to  whom  allusion  had  already  been  made 
because  of  their  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary. 
While  disclaiming  all  merit  of  his  own  as  belonging  to  a  pas- 
torate adorned  by  ministers  so  distinguished,  he  added  :  '*  Yet  I 
think  I  may  say,  on  behalf  of  the  great  multitude  of  Christian 
people  in  New  York  and  elsewhere,  that  we  look  with  the  live- 
liest interest  on  this  great  work  you  have  in  hand,  and  upon 
every  hopeful  indication  of  the  progress  being  made  in  this  great 
region,  somewhat  indefinitely  described  as  the  Northwest." 


1883-1884.  JNIcCORMICK  HALL  ERECTED.  365 

Dr.  Halsey's  address,  which  had  been  prepared  at  the 
request  of  his  colleagues  in  the  faculty,  contained  a  full  his- 
torical account  of  the  different  stages  through  which  the  insti- 
tution had  passed,  and  of  the  professors,  directors,  donors  and 
other  workers  who  had  contributed  to  its  growth  from  the 
beginning  down  to  the  present  magnificent  work  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick.  There  is  room  here  for  only  a  few  paragraphs  of  it. 
After  drawing  a  picture  of  the  vicissitudes  and  changes  of  the 
earlier  times,  when  the  Seminary  had  no  building  which  it 
could  call  a  home  of  its  own,  he  said : 

"The  circumstances  of  enlargement  and  comfort  under 
which  we  meet  to-night  for  the  dedication  of  McCormick  Hall 
are  wholly  different,  and  certainly  not  less  inspiring.  The 
occasion  synchronizes  as  regards  the  month  with  the  inaugu- 
ration of  the  first  four  professors  on  the  26th  of  October, 
1859.  ^t  marks  the  lapse  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  the 
growth  of  the  city,  in  the  development  of  the  country  and  in 
the  progress  of  the  Church.  In  all  these  aspects  this  has  been 
a  memorable  period.  It  may  well  suggest  data  for  devout  and 
thoughtful  reflection  to  those  who  have  lived  through  its 
events,  marked  its  changes  and  felt  the  inspiration  of  the 
wonderful  things  which  God  has  wrought.  We  look  out 
to-day  upon  these  beautiful  environments.  We  pass  through 
the  spacious  and  elegant  halls,  dormitories,  lecture  rooms, 
library,  chapel  and  professors'  residences  of  this  large  group  of 
buildings,  all  devoted  to  the  one  great  purpose  of  the  theo- 
logical training  of  young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry.  How 
can  we  help  calling  to  remembrance  the  noble  men  and 
women,  many  of  them  now  gone  to  their  reward,  who  in  their 
day,  through  all  these  years,  as  God  gave  them  strength  and 
grace,  faithfully  toiled  and  prayed  for  the  accomplishment  of 
the  very  results  which  we  here  see  and  enjoy.  They  worked 
hard.  They  worked  sometimes  amid  great  drawbacks  and 
discouragements.  But  they  did  not  work  in  vain.  They 
builded  at  times  even  better  than  they  knew.  They  were  lay- 
ing foundations  in  hope  against  the  time  to  come.  Their 
labors,  their  prayers,  their  contributions,  both  of  time  and 
money,  all  contributed  to  hasten  on  the  happy  consummation 


366  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

which  God  has  here  brought  to  pass  through  their  self-denying 
agency. 

'*  Some  who  began  this  good  work  of  building  a  Seminary 
of  sacred  learning  have  ended  their  labors,  and  we  shall  meet 
no  more  their  cordial  greetings  here.  But  to  us  who  remain  to 
celebrate  this  anniversary  and  to  go  forward  with  their  work, 
so  well  begun  in  1859,  it  is  gratifying  to  think  that  the  men 
and  women  of  blessed  memory,  who  so  long  bore  the  heat  and 
burden  of  the  day  while  the  walls  of  this  Seminary  of  Zion 
were  preparing  to  rise,  have  all  shared  with  us  who  remain  an 
important  part  in  the  final  result.  We  recognize  their  helping 
hands  and  we  rejoice  in  their  work.  We  give  them  all  their 
due  place  of  honor  in  our  Master's  work.  They  helped  to 
make  sure  whatever  of  good  the  institution  now,  in  its  new 
departure  and  its  wider  field,  is  destined  to  accomplish  for 
the  Church  and  the  country,  for  God  and  the  souls  of  men. 

*'  If  all  is  well  that  ends  well,  we  are  certainly  entitled  to  say 
that  this  long  and  trying  probation  of  the  past,  through  which 
the  institution  has  reached  its  present  most  hopeful  condition, 
has  not  been  in  vain.  Each  class  of  faithful  workers  has,  in  turn, 
helped  to  prepare  the  way  for  what  we  now  behold.  Our  Semi- 
nary, through  all  its  history  of  disappointment  and  struggle, 
has  had  a  career  not  at  all  dissimilar  to  that  of  most  of  the  col- 
leges and  theological  schools  of  our  land.  Nearly  all  of  them 
had  their  feeble  beginnings,  their  frequent  reverses  and  their 
protracted  struggle  for  independence.  Nor  has  such  discipline 
in  the  life  of  an  institution,  any  less  than  in  the  life  of  an  indi- 
vidual, been  without  its  lessons  and  its  benefits.  It  has  but 
served  with  God's  blessing  to  give  a  stronger  and  a  better 
growth.  It  was  so  with  Princeton,  Allegheny  and  Auburn 
through  all  their  earlier  periods,  and  with  few  exceptions  this 
has  been  the  commoti  experience  of  our  colleges  and  semina- 
ries. Such  discipline  is  wholesome,  however  painful  at  the  time 
to  the  earnest  workers.  It  furnishes  occasion  for  self-denial 
and  self-sacrifice.  It  beautifully  illustrates  Tennyson's  thought, 
by  opening  to  us  a  field  of  labor  and  of  self-abnegation,  where 
•  Men  may  rise  on  stepping  stones 
Of  their  dead  selves  to  higher  things.' 


1883-1884.  Mccormick  hall  erected.  367 

"  In  the  long  and  diversified  history  of  this  Seminary  in  its 
several  fields  of  toil,  some  of  the  faithful  laborers  have  already 
finished  their  work  and  ascended  to  higher  things  in  heaven. 
The  others  are  on  their  way  and  shall  not  be  disappointed. 
Their  true  hearted  though  inadequately  requited  labor  has 
not  been  in  vain.  No  cup  of  cold  water  has  been  lost,  no 
widow's  mite  wasted,  no  precious  alabaster  box  broken  for 
naught.  The  Seminary  itself,  by  their  labors  and  through 
God's  great  blessing,  has  already  risen  to  higher  and  better 
things  here  and  is  still  rising.  Men  die,  but  institutions 
live.  The  glory  is  God's,  but  all  honor  to  the  men  who  do 
his  work." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  McCORMICK. 
1884. 

His  Growing  Interest  in  the  Seminary.  Brief  Outline  of  His  Life.  Child- 
hood and  Youth.  Home  Influences.  His  Parentage  and  Education.  New 
Providence  Church.  His  Inventive  Genius.  First  Efforts.  A  Reaping 
Machine  Produced.  Its  Trial  and  Success.  Its  Great  Results.  His  Removal 
to  the  Northwest.  His  Business  Established  at  Chicago,  Its  Wonderful 
Success.  World-wide  Fame.  The  Great  Invention.  His  Marriage.  Vig- 
orous Constitution.  Dangerous  Malady  at  Paris  in  1878.  Impaired  Health. 
Attention  to  Business.  Intellectual  Vigor.  His  Last  Illness.  No  Hope  of 
Recovery.  His  Calm  Serenity.  His  Peaceful,  Happy  Death.  His  Great 
Life  Work  Complete.  Quarter  of  a  Century  with  the  Seminary.  His  Several 
Donations.  Well-Rounded  Life.  A  Remarkable  Career.  Funeral  Services. 
Conducted  by  the  Professors  of  the  Seminary.  Employes  of  the  Reaper 
Works.  Resolutions  and  Testimonials  of  Respect.  By  the  General  Assem- 
blies. By  -the  Board  of  Directors.  By  the  Faculty.  By  Religious  and  Edu- 
cational Bodies.     By  Prominent  Individuals. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  removed  by  death  from  the  scene  of 
his  earthly  labors  in  May,  1884,  a  few  months  prior  to  the  com- 
pletion and  dedication  of  the  great  building  which  bears  his 
name.  While  this,  his  last  public  work  for  the  Seminary,  was 
progressing,  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  institution  seemed 
to  grow  deeper  and  deeper  with  each  passing  month,  and  he 
strongly  desired  that  he  might  live  to  see  the  new  edifice  filled 
with  students  and  formally  dedicated  to  God,  but  in  the 
divine  wisdom  this  was  denied  him.  The  intimate  and  impor- 
tant relation  in  which  he  had  stood  to  the  Seminary  for  a  period 
of  twenty-five  years  miikes  it  eminently  fitting  that,  at  this 
point  in  the  history,  an  account  should  be  given  of  his  life,  his 
last  illness  and  his  lamented  death.  It  is  not  often  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  colleges  and  seminaries  that  the  cause  of  the  higher 

368 


HON.   CYRUS  H.   McCORMICK. 


1884.  THE  DEATH   OF  MR.  McCORMICK.  369 

sacred  and  professional  education  has  found  in  one  individual 
a  benefactor  so  faithful,  so  sagacious,  so  persistent  and  so  gen- 
erous to  the  last. 

Cyrus  Hall  McCormick,  the  eldest  of  eight  children,  was 
born  in  Rockbridge  County,  Virginia,  February  15,  1809,  at  the 
old  homestead,  Walnut  Grove,  midway  between  Lexington  and 
Staunton.  His  parents,  Robert  and  Mary  Ann  Hall  McCor- 
mick, were  devout  and  intelligent  Presbyterians  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  holding  an  influential  position  among  the  people  of 
the  valley,  and  each  marked  by  strength  of  character  and  good 
natural  ability.  In  this  quiet  and  happy  Christian  home  the 
children  were  early  trained  to  habits  of  self-reliance  and 
industry,  Cyrus,  the  eldest,  being  often  aroused  by  his  father's 
call  at  five  o'clock  to  go  to  work  in  the  field.  In  the  winter  he 
acquired  his  education  at  **  the  old  field-school "  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. Nurtured  under  such  domestic  influences,  by  parents 
who  feared  God,  observed  the  Sabbath  and  deeply  reverenced 
the  teaching  of  His  sacred  Word,  it  was  natural  that  the  chil- 
dren of  this  family  should  grow  up  with  strongly  marked  char- 
acter, an  abiding  sense  of  religious  duty,  of  adherence  to  truth 
and  abhorrence  of  all  shams  and  false  pretences.  And  so  on 
the  Sabbath  day  Cyrus  seems,  from  early  boyhood,  to  have 
entered  as  fully  into  the  sacred  services  of  the  New  Providence 
Presbyterian  church  in  the  neighborhood,  where  parents  and 
children  were  accustomed  to  worship,  as  he  did  into  the  regu- 
lar work  of  the  week  day  when  following  the  plough  or  tinker- 
ing in  his  father's  shop.  There  he  early  learned  to  sing  the 
music  and  the  words  of  those  beautiful  hymns  that  became  his 
favorite  songs  of  praise  through  all  the  changes  of  subsequent 
life.  This  early  training  in  industry,  honesty  and  religious 
duty  was  the  strongest  influence  in  moulding  his  character  and 
life. 

In  a  tasteful  memorial  volume,  published  after  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick's  death,  from  which  the  writer  has  drawn  largely  for 
this  sketch,  it  is  stated  that  the  bent  of  his  mind  was  from 
the  first  towards  practical  mechanics,  and  that  this  bent  was 
developed  and  strengthened  by  the  surroundings  of  his  life 
upon   a    farm,    remote    from    town    or   city.     "  During    those 


370  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

youthful  days  he  spent  much  time  in  the  carpenter  and  black- 
smith shops  which  his  father  maintained,  as  was  usual  then,  for 
repairing  the  farm  implements  and  doing  the  carpenter  work 
needed  upon  the  estate.  In  these  shops,  when  only  fifteen,  he 
made  with  his  own  hands  a  grain-cradle  for  his  use  in  the  har- 
vest field,  and  over  many  a  broad  acre  of  grain  did  he  swing 
this  primitive  harvester  of  his  boyhood,  keeping  his  place  with 
this  light  and  symmetrical  cradle  among  the  full-grown  and 
experienced  hands  in  his  father's  fields.  Thus  early  in  life  he 
had  a  practical  experience  of  the  severe  toil  from'  which  his 
invention  afterwards  released  millions  of  his  fellowmeii." 

The  first  result  of  his  inventive  mind,  we  are  told,  was  a 
hillside  plough,  patented  in  1831,  for  throwing  alternate 
furrows  on  the  lower  side,  being  thus  a  right  and  left  plough 
at  will.  Two  years  later  he  invented  a  superior  horizontal 
self-sharpening  plough,  which  was  pronounced  a  valuable 
improvement.  "  He  inherited  from  his  father  a  genius  for 
invention,  and  from  his  mother  a  genius  for  practical  business 
affairs.  This  combination  enabled  him  to  bring  to  a  successful 
issue  the  invention  which  has  given  him  world-wide  fame  and 
honor.  His  father,  Robert  McCormick,  who  possessed  much 
genius  in  the  construction  of  hydraulic,  threshing  and  hemp- 
breaking  machines,  had  devised  a  reaper  in  i8i6c  But  like  all 
previous  attempts  by  others  it  was  a  failure." 

The  failure,  however,  was  not  lost  upon  the  inquiring, 
inventive,  ever  active  mind  of  the  son.  "  Time  rolled  on,  but 
this  old  reaper,  as  it  lay  abandoned  near  the  workshop,  was 
continually  under  the  eye  of  the  young  Cyrus  as  a  reminder 
of  something  attempted  but  not  accomplished.  Convinced 
that  the  principles  upon  which  his  father  had  experimented,  in 
using  upright  revolving  cylinders  provided  at  their  base  with 
knives  like  sickles,  were  radically  defective,  he  proceeded  upon 
a  wholly  different  plan  of  construction  by  operating  upon  the 
grain  in  a  mass  with  a  horizontal  reciprocating  blade.  The  old 
machine  of  his  father,  therefore,  furnished  him  no  inductive 
trains  of  thought  in  his  work,  but  it  acted  as  a  warning  of  the 
errors  to  avoid  and  served  as  an  inspiration  to  success.  The 
idea  that  grain  could  be  cut  by  machinery  possessed  him  fully, 


1884.  THE  DEATH  OP  MR.  McCORMICK.  371 

and  he  believed  there  was  a  way  to  do  it.  He  continued  to 
think  over  and  work  out  his  idea  in  that  old  homestead.  He 
had  never  been  far  from  home.  He  had  never  heard  of  any 
experiments  in  machinery  for  harvesting  grain  except  his 
father's.  The  pursuit  of  this  idea  was  opposed  by  his  father, 
who  believed  his  years  would  be  wasted." 

But  his  mind  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  its  controlling 
purpose.  The  fundamental  principles  of  his  great  invention 
had  taken  thorough  possession  of  his  thoughts  by  day  and 
night  and  gradually  shaped  themselves  into  practical  form. 
His  experiments  in  wood  and  iron  went  on.  ''  With  unfailing 
ingenuity  and  patience  he  finally  produced  a  machine  which 
answered  to  his  own  ideal,  fashioning  every  part  of  it,  both  in 
wood  and  iron,  in  his  father's  workshop.  It  consisted  of  first, 
a  vibrating  blade  to  cut ;  second,  a  platform  to  receive  the  fall- 
ing grain  ;  and  third,  a  reel  to  bring  the  grain  within  reach  of 
the  blade. 

"  This  machine,  drawn  by  horses  placed  at  the  stubble  side 
of  the  swath,  was  tested  during  the  latter  part  of  the  harvest 
in  183 1,  in  a  field  of  six  acres  of  oats  belonging  to  John 
Steele,  situated  within  a  mile  of  Walnut  Grove.  It  proved  to 
be  a  success.  Its  work  astonished  all  who  witnessed  it.  Neither 
the  young  inventor,  who  was  then  about  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  nor  any  of  those  present  seemed  to  have  any  idea  of  the 
true  value  of  the  work  that  day  begun  ;  a  work  destined  to 
revolutionize  the  whole  method  of  farming  and  to  open  up  a 
limitless  domain  in  this  land  for  cereal  productions,  making 
possible  the  bountiful  harvests  which  have  since  that  day  taxed 
the  powers  of  transportation  and  stimulated  the  construction 
of  a  network  of  railroads  equal  to  all  the  world  besides,  as 
well  as  wonderfully  enlarging  the  cultivation  of  wheat  else- 
where throughout  the  world."* 

Having  perfected  by  other  improvements  this  important 
invention  and  having  secured  a  patent  for  it,  Mr.  McCormick 
came  *to  the  growing  Northwest,  with  a  view  to  finding  the 
most  desirable  place  for  establishing  the  manufacture  of  the 
machines.     He   first  located    at  Cincinnati,  in  1846,  and  then 

*  Memorial  Volume  on  Cyrus  H.  McCormick. 


3/2  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

came  to  Chicago  in  1847,  choosing  the  latter  as  his  permanent 
abode.  There  he  began  his  great  life  work,  and  there  he  con- 
tinued, with  unhesitating  persistence  and  unflagging  energy, 
until  that  work  was  done.  It  is  not  necessary  in  these  pages 
to  tell  the  whole  story  of  his  wonderful  success,  his  accom- 
plished purposes  and  his  rounded  life,  or  indeed  to  speak  of 
the  very  important  part  played  by  this  reaping  machine  in  the 
growth,  development  and  prosperity  of  our  broad  land.  The 
reaper  has  long  been  recognized,  both  in  America  and  Europe, 
as  one  of  the  great  inventions  of  the  nineteenth  century,  as 
one  of  the  most  useful  and  important  labor-saving  implements 
of  industry  ever  devised  by  man  in  any  age  or  nation  of  the 
world. 

As  far  back  as  1859,  "^^^y  twelve  years  after  Mr.  McCormick 
commenced  operations  in  Chicago,  it  was  said  by  one  Amer- 
ican statesman,  Hon.  Reverdy  Johnson  of  Maryland,  that  *' the 
McCormick  reaper  has  already  contributed  an  annual  income 
to  the  whole  country  of  fifty-five  millions  of  dollars  at  least, 
which  must  increase  through  all  time,"  and  by  another,  Hon. 
William  H.  Seward  of  New  York,  that  "  owing  to  Mr.  McCor- 
mick's  invention  the  line  of  civilization  moves  westward  thirty 
miles  each  year."  For  w^hat  he  accomplished  in  lessening 
human  toil,  as  well  as  for  his  instrumentality  in  increasing  the 
means  of  Christian  education,  the  nations  on  both  sides  of  the 
Atlantic,  recognizing  his  valuable  services,  conferred  on  him 
medals  and  grand  prizes  of  honor  during  his  life  and  in  his 
death  revered  and  honored  his  memory  as  that  of  one  of  its 
greatest   benefactors. 

In  the  year  1858  Mr.  McCormick  w^as  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Nettie  Fowler,  a  daughter  of  Melzar  Fowler,  Esq., 
of  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  and  niece  of  Judge  E.  G. 
Merick  of  Detroit,  Michigan.  This  happy  union  was  blessed 
with  a  family  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  two  of  whom, 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy.  In  this  excellent  and 
accomplished  lady  he  found  a  loving  companion  for  life,  who 
shared  to  the  full  in  all  his  business  cares,  his  domestic  joys 
and  his  large  benevolences.  From  the  first  and  through  all 
their  united  life  she  was  in  deepest  sympathy  with  all  his  pur- 


1884.  THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  McCORMICK.*  373 

poses  and  plans  with  regard  to  the  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest,  and  in  her  both  professors  and  students  have 
ever  found  a  liberal  co-worker  and  a  faithful  friend. 

Blest  with  a  vigorous  constitution,  which  seemed  to  be  only 
developed  and  confirmed  by  his  systematic  habits  and  his 
intense  business  activity,  Mr.  McCormick  had  enjoyed  through 
life  a  high  degree  of  robust  health.  But  in  the  year  1878, 
while  attending  the  Paris  Exposition,  he  was  attacked  with 
a  dangerous  malady,  which  necessitated  severe  surgical  opera- 
tions, which  he  bore  without  the  use  of  anaesthetics.  This 
heroic  treatment  saved  his  life.  The  unusual  vigor  of  his  con- 
stitution and  the  tenderest  care  enabled  him  to  rally  from 
the  serious  illness  after  a  slow  convalescence  of  five  months. 
But  he  was  never  again  restored  to  his  former  perfect  health. 
During  the  next  four  years  he  was  compelled  to  seek  relief 
by  changing  his  place  of  residence  to  climates  suited  to  his  con- 
dition, spending  only  a  part  of  his  time  at  Chicago.  But  while 
these  bodily  infirmities  were  increasing,  confining  him  largely  to 
a  rolling  chair,  so  contrary  to  his  former  active  habits,  his  men- 
tal strength  remained  unimpaired.  He  shrank  from  no  difficult 
business  questions  that  might  tax  his  full  mental  powers.  The 
vigor  and  acumen  of  his  intellect  had  never  appeared  more 
remarkable,  and  deeply  impressed  those  who  came  in  contact 
with  him. 

"  Though  prevented  from  moving  about  in  the  circles  of 
business,"  continues  the  memorial,  "  there  was  no  limit  to  the 
activity  of  his  mind,  and  his  interest  in  everything  relating  to 
business  or  social  life,  domestic  or  foreign  progress,  current 
events  of  political  or  national  importance  was  keen  and  una- 
bated. While  confined  largely  to  the  house  during  the  last 
years  of  his  life,  his  home  itself  became  a  business  center. 
Thither  came  men  from  many  and  varied  enterprises  and 
industries,  and  none  left  him  without  having  their  high 
impulses  and  aims  strengthened  by  his  counsel  and  noble 
example.  Here,  dictating  to  his  private  secretary,  following 
with  close  and  discriminating  attention  the  current  events  in 
the  world's  progress  as  the  daily  journals  would  be  read  to 
him,  his  mental  energies  found  their  congenial  occupation.    He 


374  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

maintained,  to  the  last,  personal  knowledge  and  control  of  his 
business,  and  no  important  decision,  either  in  the  management 
and  extension  of  this  great  industry  or  in  the  protection  of  its 
legal  interests,  was  made  without  personal  consultation  with 
and  direction  from  him  as  its  head."  * 

While  thus  confined  within  doors,  in  February  of  1884, 
during  the  Seminary  session,  the  professors  and  students  of 
the  school  were  invited  to  an  evening's  entertainment  at  Mr. 
McCormick's  residence  in'the  city.  There,  surrounded  by  his 
family  and  a  large  assemblage  of  invited  guests,  directors, 
trustees  and  friends  of  the  Seminary  from  all  the  city 
churches,  \}g  received  and  exchanged  friendly  greetings  with 
each  of  the  young  men,  about  sixty  in  number,  all  much  grati- 
fied thus  to  meet  the  benefactor  and  patron  of  the  institution. 
It  was  a  pleasing  and  impressive  scene,  long  to  be  remembered 
by  those  who  w^itnessed  it,  to  behold  this  beloved,  honored 
and  now  aged  servant  of  God  in  the  center  of  that  happy 
assemblage  and  showing  forth  in  his  face  the  deep  feelings  of 
his  heart,  as  he  thought  of  the  blessed  harvest  which  the 
Church  of  Christ  was  already  reaping  by  reason  of  his  early 
and  his  continued  benefactions  to  the  Seminary. 

It  is  a  striking  and  noteworthy  correspondence  of  facts 
that  Mr.  McCormick's  quarter  of  a  century  of  connection  with 
the  history  of  the  Seminary  should  have  been  opened  and 
closed  with  the  donation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
With  that  amount  he  began  in  1859,  '^'^^^^  with  a  little  more 
than  that  amount  in  another  gift  he  ended  his  benefactions 
with  his  life  in  1884.  His  increasing  bodily  infirmities  during 
the  last  year  of  his  life  seemed  to  make  him  all  the  more 
desirous  to  finish  his  work.  He  did  not  live  to  see  the  great 
building,  his  last  gift,  completed.  God  spared  him  long 
enough,  however,  to  see  his  efforts  crowned  with  the  most 
gratifying  results.  He  was  permitted  to  see  the  coming  of  the 
month  of  May,  1884,  the  anniversary  of  his  first  gift  to  the 
Assembly  for  the  Seminary,  in  May,  1859. 

During  the  intervening  years  he  had  added,  at  different 
times,  donations  to  the  Seminary  for  building,  for  endowment 

*  Memorial  Volume,  p.  18. 


i884.  THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  McCORMlCK.  375 

and  for  other  purposes  amounting  to  a  sum  far  exceeding  his 
original  gift.  It  seems  a  most  fitting  and  significant  close  of 
his  great  work  of  benefaction  that  he  should  in  this  last  year 
of  his  life  bestow  a  third  munificent  gift  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  and  more  to  adorn  the  Seminary  campus 
with  four  elegant  residences  for  the  professors  and  a  massive 
dormitory  for  students  far  more  extended  than  any  thing 
which  had  preceded  it.  Thus  he  was  led  to  crown  the  last 
quarter  century  of  his  life  with  a  wise  and  liberal  beneficence, 
similar  to  that  with  which  he  had  begun  it,  and  similar  to  that 
with  which  he  had  filled  up  the  intervening  years. 

Such  is  the  brief  but  shining  record  of  what  he  had  done 
for  this  institution  of  sacred  learning  and,  through  it,  for  the 
whole  Presbyterian  Church,  as  well  as  for  our  common  country 
and  our  common  Christianity.  Surely  no  institution  in  our 
land  has  ever  had  a  stauncher  friend  or  a  more  liberal  bene- 
factor. It  may  devolve  on  others  to  tell  what  he  has  done  for 
our  broad  land,  and  for  other  civilized  lands  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  as  the  inventor  of  one  of  the  most  important  and 
useful  implements  of  agriculture  known  to  mankind.  While 
his  name  will  live  through  coming  ages  in  all  the  world  of 
fruitful  industry,  by  reason  of  this  labor-saving  and  almost 
wonder-working  machine,  and  while  his  civic  monument  will 
stand  here  on  the  other  side  of  the  city,  in  that  vast  manu- 
facturing establishment  built  up  by  his  business  energy  and 
foresight,  which  is  now  sending  its  machines  over  the  world 
at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  annually, 
this  other  monument  of  his  wisdom  and  benevolence,  this  less 
worldly  and  less  applauded  monument  of  letters  and  of  high 
spiritual  culture  will  also  stand  here  for  all  coming  time.  By 
this  he  has  indissolubly  associated  his  honored  name  with  all 
the  best  interests  of  the  Christian  Church  and  the  Christian 
ministry.  By  this  his  remarkable  career  was  rounded  out  to 
its  completest  form  and  end. 

Mr.  McCormick's  last  illness  began  on  the  last  day  of 
April,  1884.  For  a  few  days  he  partially  rallied  and  had 
hopes  of  recovery.  But  at  the  end  of  a  week  his  strength 
began  to   fail   and  he  rapidly  grew  worse.      On  the   nth  of 


376  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

May  the  physicians  pronounced  his  case  hopeless.  ''  On  the 
morning  of  that  day,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  the  members  of 
his  family  enjoyed  the  last  moments  of  his  perfectly  conscious 
mental  vigor.  He  seemed  to  realize  that  his  work  on  earth 
was  done.  With  tenderest  affection  he  took  the  hand  of  each 
of  his  five  children  in  turn.  In  the  afternoon  he  had  a  few 
lucid  moments,  though  after  the  early  morning  hour  he  was 
not  so  fully  conscious.  During  one  of  these  intervals  he 
repeated  several  times  *  Christ,  our  spiritual  Head.'  During 
Monday  he  was  without  pain  and  unconscious  of  the  tender 
care  of  those  around  him.  The  morning  of  Tuesday,  May 
13th,  dawned  'gray  with  misty  light,  soft  with  early  showers,' 
and  surrounded  by  those  whom  in  life  he  held  most  dear, 
he  passed  from  suffering  to  joy,  from  toil  to  rest,  from  death 
to  immortal  life."  ''' 

The  funeral  services  for  Mr.  McCormick,  which  were  largely 
attended  and  deeply  impressive,  were  held  at  the  family  resi- 
dence in  Chicago  on  the  afternoon  of  May  15th,  1884.  It 
was  a  beautiful  day  and  an  unusual  number  of  the  most 
prominent  people  of  the  city  were  present.  Just  before  two 
o'cldck  the  casket  was  placed  in  the  center  of  the  main  hall  of 
the  mansion,  attended  by  the  pall  bearers,  twelve  in  number. 
Near  the  head  of  the  casket  the  employes  of  the  reaper  works 
had  placed  a  symbol  most  expressive  of  their  sense  of  the  loss 
sustained,  a  reaping  machine  in  white  flowers,  having  the 
main  wheel  broken.  The  gentlemen  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  reaper  company,  in  token  of  their  tender  regard,  placed 
there  a  sheaf  of  ripened  wheat  surmounted  by  a  crown  of 
lilies.  The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by  the  professors 
of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 
Appropriate  passages  of  Scripture  were  read  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Herrick  Johnson,  and  addresses  were  delivered  in  turn,  alter- 
nating with  the  singing  of  the  chosen  hymns,  by  Rev.  Dr.  L. 
J.  Halsey,  Rev.  Dr.  David  C.  Marquis  and  Rev.  Dr.  Johnson, 
each  speaker  dwelling  on  some  prominent  characteristic  in  the 
life  and  work  of  the  deceased.  The  opening  prayer  was 
offered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas   H.  Skinner  and  the  closing 

*  Memorial  Volume. 


i88^.  THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  McCORMICK.  377 

prayer  by  Rev.  Dr.  Willis  G.  Craig.  All  the  immediate 
family  and  a  large  number  of  the  relatives,  both  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McCormick,  were  present.  The  pall  bearers  were  : 
William  C.  Goudy,  Murray  F.  Tuley,  Henry  W.  King,  John 
N.  Jewett,  Mark  Skinner,  William  C.  Gray,  Joseph  Medill, 
Ralph  N.  Isham,  Charles  A.  Spring,  Jr.,  Horace  A.  Hurlbut, 
Thomas  Drummond  and  Charles  S.  Carrington.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  addresses  about  four  hundred  of  the  employes 
of  the  reaper  works,  many  of  whom  had  been  employed  there 
for  twenty  years  and  felt  a  sincere  attachment  to  Mr.  McCor- 
mick, walked  in  a  double  line  past  the  coffin,  to  bid  a  long 
and  sad  farewell  to  their  departed  leader.  The  remains  were 
interred  in  Graceland  cemetery  near  the  city. 

The  resolutions  and  tesitimonials  of  respect  and  sympathy, 
on  the  death  of  Mr.  McCormick,  adopted  by  public  bodies, 
ecclesiastical  and  religious,  in  various  parts  of  our  country, 
were  remarkable  both  for  number  and  cordiality.  The 
General  Assemblies  of  the  two  great  branches  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  then  convened,  each  adopted  an  appropriate 
memorial  on  the  occasion.  The  Northern  Assembly,  in  session 
at  Saratoga,  New  York,  passed  the  following  minute,  which 
was  moved  by  Elder  Thomas  Kane  of  Chicago,  who  announced 
the  death  of  Mr.  McCormick  with  appropriate  remarks  upon 
his  work  for  the  Church.  The  resolution  was  adopted  by  the 
Assembly  rising  to  their  feet. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  Assembly  has  learned  with  sorrow  of 
the  death  of  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  and  recognizes  the 
loss  which  the  Church  has  sustained  in  the  departure  hence  of 
so  devoted  and  munificent  a  friend  of  Christian  and  theological 
education  and  of  every  good  work." 

The  Southern  General  Assembly,  in  session  at  Vicksburg, 
Mississippi,  when  the  tidings  reached  them.  May  21st,  1884, 
unanimously  adopted  the  following  minute  and  ordered  the 
same  to  be  forwarded  to  the  family : 

"  The  General  Assembly  having  information  of  the  death  of 
the  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  deems  it 
eminently  suitable  to  make  a  record  of  an  event  which  marks 
the  departure  to  his  everlasting  rest  of  a  Christian  man  who. 


378  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

throughout  a  long  life,  has  consecrated  so  much  of  his  ample 
wealth  to  his  fellow  men.  In  all  these  benefactions  the  people 
and  institutions  of  his  native  South  were  largely  and  most 
kindly  remembered." 

The  following  resolutions  of  respect  and  sympathy  were 
adopted  by  the  executive  committee  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  The  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west : 

"  The  executive  committee,  on  behalf  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  desire  to  record  an  expression  of  their  profound 
sorrow  at  the  great  loss  sustained  by  the  Seminary  and  the 
Church  at  large  in  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick.  The  warm  and  unfaltering  friendship  of  Mr. 
McCormick  for  the  cause  of  education,  especially  in  training 
young  men  for  the  ministry,  was  shown  not  only  by  his  words, 
but  by  his  deeds  of  munificence,  which  constitute  an  enduring 
monument  to  his  memory  and  will  cause  him  to  be  remembered 
as  one  of  the  benefactors  of  mankind.  The  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  the  good  influence  of  which  will  be  felt  through  all 
time  in  Christian  education,  will  remain  as  an  example  of  his 
wisely  directed  benevolence,  to  be  emulated  by  others.  The 
timely  beneficence  of  Mr.  McCormick  to  this  institution  was 
but  an  expression  of  his  strong  faith  in  God  and  of  his  love  for 
the  highest  interests  of  mankind.  We  desire  to  extend  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased  our  deepest  sympathy  in  their  great 
bereavement.  In  the  life  of  such  a  man  the  world  can  learn 
lessons  from  the  fidelity  with  which  he  improved  the  oppor- 
tunities both  of  youth  and  manhood  and  found  time,  amidst 
the  cares  of  the  immense  industry  over  which  he  presided,  to 
ascend  to  higher  levels  of  thought  and  engage  in  works  of 
philanthropy  which  will  endear  his  name  to  coming  genera- 
tions. Through  his  good  works  'he  being  dead  yet 
speaketh.'  Samuel  M.  Moore,  chairman. 

Daniel  S.  Gregory,  secretary." 

The  professors  of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west met  May  24th,  1884,  ^^^  adopted  the  following  minute  : 

''  The  faculty  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest  here  record  upon  their  minutes  their  views  and 


1884.  THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  McCORMICK. 


379 


feelings  in  connection  with  the  decease  of  the  lamented  Hon. 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  and  call  attention  to : 

''  I.  The  sagacious  foresight  and  wisdom  of  Mr.  McCormick 
in  selecting  twenty-five  years  since  the  commanding  location 
of  this  city  as  the  appropriate  and  permanent  seat  of  this 
institution,  and  in  making  it  secure,  through  the  action  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  by  a 
donation  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

*'2.  His  steadfast  conviction  of  the  importance  of  maintain- 
ing the  Seminary  in  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  this  when,  instead  of  admiration  and  gratitude 
for  his  sagacity  and  beneficence,  he  was  confronted  v/ith  no 
little  opposition  and  opprobrium. 

"  3.  His  readiness  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the  institution 
amid  its  difficulties,  not  only  by  many  needful  gifts  at 
different  times,  but  also  by  the  contribution  of  another 
hundred  thousand  dollars  towards  its  endowment. 

''Four  of  the  members  of  the  faculty  have  special  occa- 
sion to  record  their  gratitude  to  Mr.  McCormick  for  his  gift  of 
most  commodious  and  beautifully  located  residences,  by 
which  not  only  is  their  personal  comfort  secured,  but  the  insti- 
tution itself  is  benefited  by  the  opportunity  thus  given  for 
constant  oversight  and  influence  in  connection  with  the 
students. 

"  The  faculty  hereby  express  their  own  and  the  Church's 
very  great  indebtedness  to  Mr.  McCormick  for  his  prompt  and 
noble  munificence  in  the  erection  of  the  new  and  spacious 
dormitory  on  the  grounds  of  the  institution  for  the  increasing 
number  of  the  students. 

'''We  also  take  this  occasion  to  record  our  sense  of  grati- 
tude to  Mr.  McCormick  for  the  wide  door  he  has  opened  to 
each  and  all  of  us  for  usefulness  to  the  Church  of  his  and  our 
warmest  affections. 

"And  finally,  we  thank  God  that  before  his  departure 
from  the  scene  of  his  large  Christian  benefactions  he  was 
permitted  the  gratification  of  witnessing  the  most  encourag- 
ing tokens  of  prosperity  and  success  in  the  institution  to 
which  he  had  given  so  much  thought  and  labor  and  bounty. 


8o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 


"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  this  minute  be  transmitted  to  his 
family  with  the  expression  of  our  tenderest  sympathy  in  their 
bereavement  and  grief;  and  our  prayer  is  that  the  God  of  con- 
solation may  sustain  and  comfort  them  as  the  Husband  of  the 
widow  and  the  Father  of  the  fatherless. 

Willis  G.  Craig,  chairman. 

Edward  L.  Curtis,  secretary." 

Similar  resolutions  of  respect  and  appreciation  were  adopted 
at  a  special  meeting  of  the  alumni  of  the  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Northwest ;  by  the  Woman's  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Missions  of  the  Northwest ;  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Washington  and  Lee  University,  of  Virginia ;  by  the  faculty 
also  of  that  institution ;  by  the  alumni  association  of  Prince- 
ton Theological  Seminary,  N.  J.;  by  the  trustees  of  Lake  For- 
est University,  111. ;  by  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  ;  by  the 
International  Committee  of  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions, New  York;  by  the  session  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Richfield  Springs,  N.  Y. ;  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Hastings 
College,  Nebraska ;  and  by  the  Board  of  Visitors  of  the  Thorn- 
well  Orphanage  of  South  Carolina.  Most  of  these  literary, 
religious,  benevolent  and  educational  institutions  had  been, 
from  time  to  time,  the  recipients  of  Mr.  McCormick's  benefac- 
tions. In  addition  to  these  public  testimonials,  many  letters  of 
deep  sympathy  and  condolence  addressed  to  the  family  were 
received  from  prominent  individuals  in  different  parts  of  the 
land,  all  expressive  of  the  great  loss  sustained  by  the  Seminary, 
the  Church  and  the  country  in  Mr.  McCormick's  death. "^ 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Semi- 
nary after  Mr.  McCormick's  death,  in  April,  1885,  that  body 
placed  on  its  records  a  loving  and  appreciative  tribute  to  his 
memory,  drawn  up  by  a  committee  consisting  of  Drs.  W.  W. 
Harsha  and  J.  W.  Dinsmore  and  Elder  John  C.  Grier.  In  that 
memorial  they  say : 

'*  We  express  our  sense  of  deep  and  unfeigned  sorrow  at  the 
removal  of  one  whose  relations  to  this  institution  as  its  con- 
stant friend  and  most  generous  and  munificent  patron  were  for 
many  years  so  intimate  and  so  vital.     We  shall  never  forget, 

*  Memorial  Volume,  pp.  73-143. 


1884.  THE  DEATH  OF  MR.  McCORMICK.  38 1 

nor  will  our  loved  Church  ever  fail  to  bear  in  grateful  remem- 
brance, his  ardent  interest,  his  absorbing  devotion  and  his 
unflagging  zeal  in  behalf  of  this  school  of  sacred  learning.  To 
his  wise  and  thoughtful  and  prudent  counsels,  to  his  open- 
handed  and  princely  liberality,  to  his  constant  solicitude  and 
earnest  prayers  are  we  indebted  for  an  institution  which,  under 
God,  shall  continue  to  be  a  living  fountain  of  blessedness 
to  this  land,  and  to  the  world,  so  long  as  time  endures. 

"  We  deem  it,  further,  our  duty,  as  well  as  our  privilege,  to 
record  our  sense  of  profound  gratitude  to  Almighty  God  that 
he  raised  up  and  qualified  one  for  a  work  so  great,  at  a  period 
in  the  world's  history  so  full  of  peril  to  the  cause  of  evangelical 
religion.  With  rationalism  spreading  itself  abroad  so  widely, 
especially  in  this  great  Northwest ;  with  materialism  massing 
its  forces  on  every  hand  for  the  overthrow  of  spiritual  Chris- 
tianity ;  with  Romanism  girding  itself  for  a  conflict  that  is  to 
determine  the  religious  control  of  the  New  World,  we  can  but 
regard  it  as  a  special  mark  of  the  divine  favor  that  the  King 
and  Head  of  the  Church  raised  up,  at  such  a  crisis,  one  who  by 
his  beneficence  in  the  past  and  by  a  wise  and  prudent  provision 
for  the  future,  has  reared  at  this  great  center  of  influence  a 
bulwark  against  those  varied  forces  of  evil.  To  be  the  honored 
instrument  of  such  a  work  at  such  a  crisis  is  glory  enough  for  " 
any  life.     To  God  be  all  the  praise. 

"To  the  family  of  Mr.  McCormick  we  tender  our  sincerest 
sympathy  in  the  irreparable  loss  they  have  sustained.  To  you, 
however,  remains  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  honored 
husband  and  father  who  has  gone  had,  by  the  divine  blessing, 
secured  a  place  in  the  regards  of  the  Church  and  the  world 
which  few  indeed  in  any  walk  of  life  could  hope  to  reach,  and 
that  his  name  and  memory  will  remain  enshrined  in  the  hearts 
of  increasing  thousands  who  shall  be  made  the  recipients  of  the 
blessings  which  his  wise  and  beneficent  gifts  will  continue  to 
bring  as  the  ages  roll  away.  We  recommend  that  this  paper 
be  spread  upon  the  permanent  records  of  this  Board  and  that 
an  attested  copy  of  the  same  be  furnished  to  the  bereaved 
family  by  our  secretary."  ^ 

♦Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  605-607. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ERA  OF  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS. 

I 884-1 886. 


Mr.  McCormick*s  Idea.  Increase  of  Students.  The  Library  of  Rev. 
William  H.  Van  Doren,  D.D.,  bequeathed  to  the  Seminary.  Written 
and  Oral  Examinations.  Special  Lecturers.  Spiritual  Development.  New 
Departure.  Confidence  Inspired.  McCormick  Hall  Furnished  by  the 
Churches.  Donation  of  Tuthill  King.  His  Letter  to  the  Board.  Action  of 
the  Board  Thereon.  Large  Debt  Accruing.  Statement  of  the  Treasurer  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees.  Donation  of  One  Hundred  Thousand  Dollars.  Thanks 
of  the  Board  to  Mrs.  McCormick  and  her  Son.  Joint  Action  of  Trustees  and 
Directors.  Name  of  the  Seminary  Changed.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr., 
made  a  Special  Director  for  Life.  Action  of  the  Board  and  of  General 
Assembly  on  these  Measures.  Resignation  of  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason.  Resolu- 
tions Thereon.  Deaths  among  the  Directors.  Mr.  C.  B.  Nelson.  Hon.  S. 
.M.  Moore.  Dr.  W.  S.  Curtis.  Their  Memorial  on  the  Records  of  the  Board. 
Decease  of  John  Forsythe,  Charles  Crosby  and  Hon.  Lincoln  Clark.  Their 
Life,  Character  and  Services  to  the  Seminary. 

In  his  last  communication  to  the  Seminary,  made  at  the 
laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  new  dormitory  in  January, 
1884,  Mr.  McCormick  had  spoken  of  the  erection  of  that 
building  as  indicating  the  ''  dawn  of  a  brighter  day  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  institution."  And  so  in  fact  it  proved  to  be.  It 
gave  stability  and  permanence  to  all  that  had  hitherto  been 
done.  It  gave  to  the  public  mind  an  assurance  and  pledge 
that  the  school  had  emerged  from  its  old  embarrassments,  and 
was  at  last  ready  for  a  wider  development  of  its  usefulness. 
This  was  the  turning  point  in  its  history  and  a  new  departure 
for  the  future.  By  this  additional  building  it  secured  accom- 
modations for  a  hundred  students ;  and  they  were  needed,  for 
the  catalogue  of  the  next  session,  1 884-1 885,  showed  seventy- 

382 


/ 


*9m 


REV.   WILLIS  G.   CRAIG,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  383 

seven  students  in  attendance,  an  increase  of  eighteen  on  the 
number  for  the  preceding  year. 

For  several  years  past  the  Hbrary  of  the  Seminary  had 
been  increased  from  time  to  time  by  small  but  valuable  addi- 
tions of  books  donated  by  individual  contributors.  In  1884 
it  received  a  large  and  valuable  collection  from  the  estate 
of  Rev.  William  H.  Van  Doren,  D.D.,  who  died  in  1882  and 
made  to  the  Seminary  by  his  will  a  conditional  bequest  of  his 
private  library,  consisting  largely  of  exegetical  works,  to  the 
number  of  thirteen  hundred  volumes.  This  accession,  to- 
gether with  the  preceding  contributions,  swelled  the  Seminary 
library  to  about  ten  thousand  volumes. 

Some  years  prior  to  the  time  now  under  consideration,  the 
faculty,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  adopted 
the  method  of  written  examinations  at  the  close  of  each 
session,  to  be  held  in  alternation  with  the  oral  examinations. 
After  being  tried  for  several  sessions  this  method  was  laid 
aside.  During  the  session  of  1 883-1 884  it  was  again  adopted, 
in  accordance  w^ith  a  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Directors 
requiring  it.  It  was  then  made  the  standing  order  of  the  insti- 
tution that  the  annual  examinations  at  the  close  of  each 
session  should  be  both  oral  and  written,  the  former  in  the 
presence  of  a  previously  appointed  committee  of  the  Board, 
to  whom  also  the  results  of  the  written  examinations  in  the 
presence  of  the  professors  should  be  submitted.  Students 
failing  to  pass  these  examinations  are  conditioned  and  cannot 
continue  as  full  and  regular  students  until  their  conditions  are 
made  up.  When  members  of  the  senior  class  thus  fail,  they 
are  not  graduated.  Such  has  been  the  method  in  all  succeed- 
ing years. 

During  this  season  of  1 884-1 885  the  faculty,  in  addition  to 
the  regular  instructions  of  the  professors  in  each  department, 
inaugurated  a  special  course  of  lectures  to  be  delivered  before 
the,  students  of  all  the  classes  together  by  successful  scholars 
and  pastors,  selected  by  the  professors  from  the  churches. 
Such  special  lectures  had  been  given  irregularly  during  each 
session  in  the  earlier  history  of  the  Seminary ;  but,  from  this 
time  01,  the  number  of  such  lectures  was  increased  and  this 


384  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

was  made  one  of  the  standing  appointments  of  the  institution,^ 
adding  not  a  little  to  the  interest  and  attractiveness  of  the 
Seminary  course.  Besides  this,  a  competent  instructor  in 
elocution  was  appointed  from  year  to  year,  in  addition  to  the- 
regular  faculty  of  six  professors. 

From  this  time  forward  the  spiritual  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  students  in  the  home  life  of  the  Seminary  was 
greatly  assisted  by  the  fact  that  the  new  professors,  having 
their  residences  on  the  campus  of  the  institution,  w^ere  con- 
tinually w^ith  the  students  in  all  their  meetings,  both  for 
instruction  and  devotion,  a  benefit  which  in  former  years  could 
never  be  so  fully  secured  under  the  old  arrangement,  when  the 
professors  w^ere  compelled  to  live  at  a  distance  in  such  houses 
as  they  could  get.  This  new  order  of  things  after  the  erection 
of  professors'  houses  on  the  grounds  at  once  gave  unity,  con- 
centration and  spiritual  powder  to  the  wdiole  inward  life  of  the 
school  such  as  it  never  enjoyed  before  and  perhaps  never 
could  have  secured  without  the  intimate  participation  of  the 
professors  in  it.  With  this  more  developed  spiritual  life  the 
institution  immediately  entered  on  a  higher  intellectual  life 
and  showed  forth  more  of  its  proper  normal  character  as  a 
sacred  school.  These  important  attributes  it  had  indeed 
possessed  from  the  beginning,  and  through  all  its  years  of 
struggle,  but  never  before  so  completely.  The  good  work  of 
former  years  had  been  done  under  great  disadvantages  and  dis- 
couragements. The  old  professors  saw  and  lamented  the 
defects  of  the  arrangements  under  which  they  labored,  but 
they  w^ere  unavoidable.  All  these  were  removed  by  the  more 
ample  and  satisfactory  arrangements  of  1884  and  1885,  w^hich 
made  a  new  era  in  the  life  of  the  school. 

It  should  be  stated,  as  illustrating  the  new  confidence 
created  among  the  churches  of  the  Northwest  by  the  growing 
prosperity  of  the  Seminary  during  this  period,  that,  w^hen  Mr. 
McCormick's  large  outlay  of  $60,000  was  made  on  the  aew 
dormitory  in  1884,  the  sum  of  about  seven  thousand  dollars 
w^as  contributed  by  them  through  the  agency  of  Rev.  Josiah 
Milligan,  for  the  purpose  of  providing  all  its  rooms  with  a 
complete   outfit  of  furniture.     It  may  be  stated  also,   :n  this 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  385 

connection,  that  in  addition  to  the  sum  of  $39,000  which  Mr. 
McCormick  agreed  to  pay  for  the  four  professors'  houses, 
which  was  what  they  would  have  cost  as  first  planned,  there 
was  a  further  sum  of  $10,000  expended  on  them,  as  the  plans 
were  somewhat  modified  and  enlarged  at  the  request  of  those 
who  were  to  occupy  them.  This  additional  sum  was  advanced 
at  the  time  by  the  professors,  but  was  afterwards  repaid  to 
them.  It  thus  appears  that  these  four  substantial  and  elegant 
residences  were  erected  at  a  cost  of  $49,000,  of  which  Mr. 
McCormick  paid  at  the  time  $39,000. 

In  pursuance  of  a  call  duly  issued,  the  Board  of  Directors 
held  a  special  meeting  on  the  27th  of  June,  1884,  in  Chicago  to 
take  action  on  a  proposal  from  Tuthill  King,  Esq.,  a  pioneer 
and  esteemed  business  man  of  the  city,  to  endow  a  chair  in  the 
Seminary  with  twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  following  com- 
munication from  Mr.  King  was  presented  and  read  : 
''  To  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theological 

Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

Dear  Sir:  I  desire  through  you  to  make  a  gift  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars  ($20,000)  to  the  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  as  my  mite  toward  promoting  the 
instruction  of  young  men  in  Bible  truth.  I  desire  the  gift  to 
be  entered  in  the  books  of  the  Board  as  the  '  Tuthill  King 
endowment  toward  the  support  of  the  chair  of  Biblical  and 
Ecclesiastical  History,'  which  gift  shall  be  kept  intact  for  the 
support  of  the  said  chair  for  all  time  to  come.  And  in  case 
any  professor  occupying  the  chair  assisted  or  endowed  by  the 
fund  shall  teach  anything  contrary  to  sound  Biblical  doctrines, 
as  held  by  the  Presbyterian  Church,  the  Board  shall,  within 
the  space  of  one  year,  dismiss  such  professor,  and,  if  in  such 
reasonable  time  such  professor  shall  not  have  been  dismissed, 
the  income  from  the  gift  shall  be  withheld  and  applied  to  the 
principal  until  such  dismissal  is  made.  And,  if  in  a  period  of 
five  years  the  said  change  is  not  made,  the  whole  sum  given, 
with  the  income  accrued,  shall  revert  to  my  heirs ;  the  laxity 
of  doctrine  to  be  proven  by  good  and  sufificient  facts  and  by 
the  methods  in  keeping  with  the  polity  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 


386  HISTORY  OF  McCORxMICK  SEMINARY. 

*'  And,  furthermore,  if  in  case  the  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest  should  ever  cease  to  exist,  or 
should  be  changed  into  any  other  form  of  institution,  this 
donation  shall  revert  to  my  heirs.  And,  lastly,  the  gift  which 
I  herewith  transmit  I  desire  to  be  turned  over  by  you  to  the 
trustees  of  said  institution,  of  which  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr., 
is  also  the  present  treasurer,  to  be  received  by  them  in  accord- 
ance with  the  terms  of  this  paper,  embodying  the  above 
conditions. 

"  Hoping,  dear  brother,  for  a  blessing  of  God  to  accompany 
this  gift,  which  is  made  for  his  glory  and  the  good  of  mankind, 
I  remain 

Very  truly  yours, 

Tuthill  King." 

On  the  reading  of  Mr.  King's  letter,  it  was  unanimously 
"  Resolved,  first,  that  the  gift  of  Mr.  King  be  accepted  on  the 
conditions  named  in  his  letter;  second,  that  a  committee  con- 
sisting of  Judge  S.  M.  Moore,  Col.  R.  B.  Mason  and  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick,  Jr.,  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  letter  expressing 
the  thanks  of  this  Board  to  Mr.  King,  and  to  visit  and  present 
the  same  to  him."  The  committee  reported  and  presented  the 
following  letter : 

"  Chicago,  June  i8,  1884. 
Tuthill  King,  Esq. 

Dear  Brother :  The  undersigned  have  been  appointed  a 
committee  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest  to  convey  to  you  the  sin- 
cere and  hearty  thanks  of  the  Board  for  the  gift  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  which  you  have  kindly  made  to  the  Semi- 
nary, for  the  purpose  of  promoting  the  instruction  of  young 
men  in  Bible  truth.  The  communication  which  you  addressed 
to  the  president  and  Board  of  Directors  the  17th  ult.,  announc- 
ing your  desire  to  have  this  amount  entered  in  the  books  of 
the  Board  as  the  Tuthill  King  endowment  towards  the  sup- 
port of  the  chair  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History,  to  be 
kept  intact  for  the  support  of  the  chair  for  all  time  to  come, 
was  presented  to  the  Board  this  day,  and  the  conditions  which 
you  have  stated  in  the  same  paper  were  taken  into  considera- 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  387 

tion.  By  unanimous  vote  of  the  Board,  the  gift  was  accepted 
upon  the  conditions  specified,  which  were  considered  to  be 
just  and  proper. 

"  In  making  known  to  you  the  action  of  the  Board,  we  must 
also  take  this  occasion  to  assure  you  of  the  cordial  wishes  of  its 
members  for  the  health  and  welfare  of  yourself  and  your  family. 
We  hope  that  you  may  have  much  occasion  to  rejoice  in  time 
to  come  with  reference  to  the  faithfulness  of  the  professors  in 
the  Seminary  and  for  the  good  work  which  may  be  done 
through  the  teachings  which  your  kind  donation  is  intended 
to  promote.  In  thoughtfulness  as  well  as  in  generosity  you 
have  bestowed,  giving  as  unto  the  Lord.  And  that  His  richest 
blessing  may  be  with  you,  and  enrich  the  gift  forever,  is  the 
sincere  wish,  dear  brother,  of  your  friends  and  fellow  servants. 

S.  M.  Moore, 
R.  B.  Mason, 

Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.  "^ 
When  the  Board  of  Directors  met  at  the  annual  meeting  in 
April,  1885,  it  was  found  that  a  very  large  indebtedness  had 
been  incurred  during  the  preceding  few  years  in  carrying  for- 
ward the  Seminary  under  its  new  policy  of  a  wide  and  vigor- 
ous development.  This  had  been  caused  partly  by  the  increas- 
ing number  of  students  who  needed  assistance  from  the 
scholarship  funds,  partly  by  a  heavy  tax  for  sewerage  improve- 
ments and  repairs  on  the  older  buildings,  and  partly  by  other 
needed  outlays  incidental  to  running  the  institution  on  its 
larger  scale.  There  was  a  constant  demand  for  larger  expendi- 
ture, in  order  adequately  to  accommodate  the  increased  num- 
bers, and  the  available  income  was  not  sufficient  to  meet  the 
demand.  Under  these  circumstances  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick, Jr.,  who  since  1882  had  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  and  was  at  this  time  also  its  treasurer,  laid  before 
the  Board  a  full  communication  in  relation  to  the  exact  finan- 
cial condition  of  the  Seminary,  its  resources,  its  endowments, 
its  income,  its  growing  demands  and  its  large  accumulated 
deficiency,  as  well  as  its  encouraging  prospects.  It  was  a  clear 
statement  of  the  entire  situation. 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  375-376. 


388  HISTORY  OF  MCCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Assuring  the  Board  of  his  own  deep  interest  in  all  that  had 
been  done  for  the  Seminary,  and  also  of  his  mother's  cordial 
approval  and  endorsement  of  the  same,  and  of  their  earnest 
desire  to  promote  the  success  of  the  great  work  the  Seminary 
was  now  doing,  Mr.  McCormick  closed  this  admirable  paper 
with  the  following  proposition,  which  may  be  given  in  his  own 
words,  as  unexpected  no  doubt  as  they  were  agreeable  to  every 
member  of  the  directory: 

"  My  mother  and  myself  propose  therefore,  as  trustees  of 
the  estate  of  my  father,  to  give  to  the  trustees  of  this  Semi- 
nary one  hundred  thousand  dollars  ($100,000),  out  of  which 
the  present  indebtedness,  amounting  to  $45,161.65,  shall  be 
paid  (reckoning  the  notes  at  their  face  value  and  without  inter- 
est), the  balance,  over  $50,000,  to  be  paid  in  cash  into  the 
treasury  as  an  increase  to  the  permanent  endowment  funds, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  contingent  account." 

As  indicated  above,  in  wha^  is  said  about  the  notes,  Mr. 
McCormick,  Sr.,  before  his  death  had  loaned  the  Seminary  on 
note,  from  time  to  time,  what  had  been  needed  for  the  defi- 
ciency. These  notes  were  at  this  time  to  be  canceled  and  an 
additional  sum  of  money  given  outright.  This  assuredly  was 
a  simple  and  noble  method  of  meeting  the  pressing  difificulty, 
both  as  regarded  the  accumulated  deficiency  of  the  past  and  the 
prospective  wants  of  the  future.  The  Board  heard  and  acknowl- 
edged the  munificent  of^er  with  feelings  of  admiration  for  the 
donors  and  of  profound  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  God  for  the 
timely  benefaction. 

The  committee  appointed  to  give  suitable  expression  to  the 
feelings  of  the  Board  on  hearing  this  communication  from  Mr. 
McCormick  and  its  generous  offer  reported  the  following 
minute,  which  was  at  once  unanimously  adopted: 

**  I.  Your  committee  take  pleasure  in  commending  the  full, 
clear  and  accurate  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the 
Seminary  contained  in  that  report. 

"  2.  The  special  feature  in  the  report,  which  the  Board  has 
already  recognized  by  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  God,  is  the 
statement  of  the  reception  of  a  gift  to  the  Seminary  from  Mrs. 
McCormick  and  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.,  amounting  to  the 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  389 

sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In  view  of  this  princely 
gift,  not  more  generous  than  it  is  opportune,  your  committee 
would  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  following  minute  : 

"■  Resolved,  That  the  hearty  thanks  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  are  hereby 
tendered  to  Mrs.  McCormick  and  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.^ 
Esq  ,  for  their  munificent  gift  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to  the  funds  of  the  Seminary.  We  devoutly  thank  God  that 
through  their  abounding  liberality  the  Seminary  has  not  only 
been  relieved  from  an  embarrassing  debt,  but  also  that  the  way 
has  been  opened  for  enlarged  usefulness  in  its  work.  We 
gladly  record  our  obligations,  which  we  feel  also  to  be  those  of 
all  who  are  interested  in  sound  and  thorough  theological  train- 
ing, to  these  generous  donors.  We  are  specially  gratified  by  this 
gift  inasmuch  as  it  manifests  the  same  fidelity  and  devotion  to 
this  institution  which  characterized  the  late  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick, the  princely  benefactor  of  this  Seminary.  We  rever- 
ently invoke  the  blessing  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  upon 
these  two  who  have  brought  this  institution  such  timely  and 
generous  aid,  and  also  upon  all  others  who  during  the  year 
have  aided  by  their  benefactions. 

*'  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  minute  be  sent  to  Mrs. 
McCormick  and  to  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.,  signed  by  the 
president  and  secretary  of  the  Board. 

S.  J.  Niccolls, 
S.  J.  McPherson, 
•    C.C.Brown,  Kommittee. 

H.  T.  Clark,  j 

A  communication  was  received  from  the  Board  of  Trustees, 
making  the  following  recommendations  to  the  directors  for  their 
consideration : 

"  First,  That  the  directors  unite  with  the  trustees  in  requir- 
ing the  finances  so  to  be  administered  that  the  expenditure 
shall  be  kept  within  the  income,  and  that  no  debts  be  con- 
tracted unless  the  funds  are  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  to 
meet  such  indebtedness. 

''Second,    That  the  grouping  of  the  scholarships,  as  here 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  403-405. 


390  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

reported,  be  accepted  by  the  Board,  and  that  notification  be 
sent  to  the  donors  of  said  scholarships,  informing  them  of  the 
houses  which  have  been  set  apart  for  each  respectively ;  and 
that  the  trustees  be  empowered  in  like  manner  to  group  with 
scholarships  names  as  they  may  come  in. 

"Third,  That  the  directors  take  this  matter  of  scholarships 
under  serious  consideration,  with  a  view  towards  assisting  to 
provide  the  necessary  money  to  carry  this  account  through  the 
coming  year  without  deficit.  In  this  connection  the  trustees 
would  call  the  attention  of  the  Board  to  the  fact  that  there 
will  probably  be  some  money  necessary  to  pay  for  rooms  for 
students  outside  the  Seminary,  and  this  will  be  the  amount  of 
money  necessary  to  be  raised  during  the  coming  year." 

The  recommendations  were  adopted  by  the  Board.  Pend- 
ing the  discussion  of  the  last  recommendation,  members  of  the 
Board  responded  to  the  call  for  funds  by  pledging  themselves 
individually  for  subscriptions  which  amounted  in  the  aggregate 
to  the  sum  of  $i,6oo. 

The  following  action  was  also  taken  by  the  Board : 

''  Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  this  Board  be  appointed 
to  report  at  the  next  meeting  the  legal  right  and  expediency 
of  changing  the  name  of  this  institution  to  The  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest."  C.  C.  Brown,  Esq., 
Hon.  S.  M.  Moore,  Thomas  Dent,  Esq.,  and  Henry  G.  Miller, 
Esq.,  were  appointed  the  committee.  The  Board  of  Directors 
also  passed  the  following  resolution  as  an  overture  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  1885  : 

"  In  view  of  the  munificent  and  unselfish  benefactions  of 
the  McCormick  family,  the  Board  of  Directors  request  the 
General  Assembly  to  elect  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.,  a 
special  and  perpetual  director  of  the  Seminary  in  place  of  his 
father,  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  deceased.  We  therefore 
ask  that  this  General  Assembly  re-enact  section  2  of  article  2 
of  the  constitution  of  the  Seminary,  adopted  by  the  General 
Assenably  of  1882,  with  the  required  change  of  name,  as  fol- 
lows: 

'  In  just  recognition  of  the  relation  of  Hon.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick and  his  family  to  this  Seminary,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick, 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  391 

Jr.,  is  hereby  constituted  from  this  time  forth  a  special  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  to  qualify  as  and  to  be  entitled  to 
all  the  prerogatives  of  other  full  members  of  the  Board,  and  to 
continue  in  the  office  during  the  term  of  his  natural  life  or 
until  he  shall  resign.'  "^  ♦ 

The  question  of  the  advisability  of  changing  the  corporate 
name  of  the  Seminary,  which  had  been  referred  by  the  Board 
of  Directors  in  April,  1885,  to  a  committee  of  lawyers,  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Board,  to  report  on  the  legality  of  the  change,  came 
before  the  Board  at  its  annual  meeting  in  April,  1886.  That 
committee  reported  in  favor  of  the  legality  of  the  change  and 
pointed  out  the  mode  of  procedure.  After  due  discussion  the 
following  action  was  heartily  taken  : 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Board  the  corporate 
name  of  the  Seminary  should  be  changed,  so  that  it  will  read 
The  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  trustees  be  requested  to  take  the  legal 
measures  necessary  to  effect  such  change." 

Twenty-two  members  of  the  Board  were  present  and  voted 
unanimously  in  favor  of  these  resolutions  by  rising.  On  motion 
the  president  of  the  Board  was  instructed  to  inform  the  family 
of  Mrs.  McCormick  of  the  passage  of  these  resolutions,  f 

In  a  matter  so  important  as  the  changing  of  the  name  of 
the  Seminary,  it  was  deemed  best  to  have  the  concurrent  action 
of  each  of  the  Seminary  Boards.  Accordingly,  when  the  fore- 
going resolutions  of  the  directors  were  communicated  to  the 
trustees,  the  latter  Board  held  a  meeting.  May  8th,  1886,  at 
which  the  following  concurrent  action  was  adopted : 

"  It  was  moved  by  Mr.  King,  seconded  by  Mr.  Hurlbut  and 
carried,  that  the  president  and  secretary  be  authorized  to  sign 
the  following  paper  to  the  General  Assembly  and,  in  accord- 
ance with  this  resolution,  the  president,  R.  B.  Mason,  and  the 
secretary,  C.  H.  Adams,  signed  the  communication  to  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  which  is  as  follows  : 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  401-403,  469. 
t  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  466-46S. 


392  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

"  To  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 

United  States  of  America  : 
Fathers  and  Brethren : 

In  view  of  the  benefactions  of  the  late  Cyrus  H.  McCormick 
and  his  family,  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  instructed  by  the 
unanimous  vote  of  the  directors  of  said  institution  at  their 
recent  annual  meeting,  request  the  General  Assembly  to 
re-enact  section  i  of  article  i  of  the  constitution  of  the  Semi- 
nary adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  A.  D.,  1872,  so  as  to 
read  as  follows :  '  The  name  of  the  institution  shall  be  The 
McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.' 
And  also  to  enact  a  corresponding  change  of  name  wherever 
the  name  of  the  institution  occurs  in  the  body  of  the  constitu- 
tion. 

By  order  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

R.  B.  Mason,  president, 
Cyrus  H.  Adams,  secretary." 

The  question  of  changing  the  name  of  the  Seminary  was 
brought  before  the  General  Assembly  of  1886  at  its  meeting 
in  Minneapolis  for  final  action.  The  question  of  changing  the 
constitution  of  the  Seminary  and  making  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick, Jr.,  a  special  director  of  the  Board  for  life,  though  it  was 
acted  on  by  the  Board  and  reported  to  the  General  Assembly 
in  1885,  did  not  come  before  that  body  for  final  action  until 
the  meeting  in  1886.  At  that  meeting  the  chairman  of  the 
standing  committee  on  theological  seminaries.  Dr.  Samuel  M. 
Studdiford,  reported  the  following  recommendation  on  both 
questions,  which  was  adopted  by  the  Assembly.  After  reciting 
the  precise  terms  of  the  overture  as  made  by  the  Board  of 
Directors  for  a  change  in  the  constitution  and  the  election  of 
Mr.  McCormick,  the  paper  reads :  '*  The  committee  recom- 
mends that  this  request  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest  be  granted,  and  that  article 
2,  section  2,  of  the  constitution  of  said  Seminary  be  re-enacted, 
with  the  change  of  the  name  as  desired,  namely,  the  substitu- 
tion of  the  name  of  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr.,  for  that  of 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick. 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  393 

"  Your  committee  would  further  call  the  attention  of  the 
General  Assembly  to  the  following  resolutions  unanimously 
passed  by  the  directors  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest  at  their  recent  meeting : 

"  '  Resolved,  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Board  the  corporate 
name  of  this  Seminary  should  be  changed  so  that  it  will  read 
'  The  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.' 

"  Resolved,  That  the  trustees  be  requested  to  take  the  legal 
measures  necessary  to  effect  such  change.' 

''Your  committee  recommends  that,  in  accordance  with 
these  resolutions,  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  be  hereby  authorized 
to  change  the  corporate  name  of  the  same  so  that  it  shall  read 
The  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church."  * 

During  these  years  of  growing  influence  and  success,  the 
Board  of  Directors  and  the  Seminary  were  called  to  lament  in 
rapid  succession  the  loss  of  some  of  its  oldest  and  most  effi- 
cient helpers  and  counselors.  Following  the  lamented  death  of 
Mr.  McCormick  in  May,  1884,  came  the  decease  of  Claudius  B. 
Nelson,  Esq.,  in  the  spring  of  1885,  and  soon  after  that  of 
Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore,  LL.D.,  both  elders,  and  then  of  Rev. 
William  S.  Curtis,  D.D.,  all  earnest  friends  of  the  Seminary 
and  faithful,  indefatigable  members  of  its  directory.  Besides 
these  removals  by  death,  the  Board  at  its  annual  meeting 
of  1885  received  a  letter  of  resignation  from  Rev.  James 
D.  Mason,  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  asking  to  be  relieved  of 
any  further  attendance  on  its  meetings,  on  the  ground  of 
age  and  failing  health.  Mr.  Mason  had  long  been  one  of  the 
most  faithful  and  efficient  members. 

In  accepting  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Mason,  the  Board 
appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  T.  D.  Ewing,  D.D., 
Rev.  John  Crozier  and  John  C.  Grier,  Esq.,  who  reported  the 
following  resolutions  as  a  testimonial  to  Mr.  Mason's  character 
and  faithful  service  : 

''  Resolved,  That  this  Board  have  heard  with  sorrow  of  the 

♦  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1886,  pp.  87,  88, 


394  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

declining  health  of  Brother  Mason  and  of  his  inability  to 
meet  with  us  again  as  a  member. 

"  Resolved,  That  with  sorrow  the  Board  accepts  Brother 
Mason's  resignation,  and  desire  to  put  upon  record  our  high 
appreciation  of  his  interest  in  this  institution  and  faithfulness 
in  his  attendance  on  the  sessions  of  the  Board  of  which  he 
has  been  so  long  a  member  and  at  one  time  president. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  Board  desire  to  convey  to  Brother 
Mason  this  expression  of  our  sincere  Christian  sympathy  and 
condolence  in  view  of  his  declining  health  and  his  inability  to 
longer  meet  with  us  and  take  part  in  our  deliberations.  And 
we  do  desire  to  assure  our  beloved  brother  of  our  sincere 
prayer  that  the  blessings  of  the  triune  Jehovah  may  rest 
richly  upon  him,  and  give  him  light  and  joy  in  his  declining 
days,  and  make  his  last  days  his  best  days,  until  he  is  called  to 
join  the  General  Assembly  and  Church  of  the  First  Born. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  minute  be  spread  upon  the  records 
of  this  Board,  and  that  the  secretary  furnish  Brother  Mason 
with  a  copy  of  the  same."  ^ 

The  following  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Claudius  B.  Nel- 
son, Esq.,  who  died  in  Chicago  just  before  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Board,  was  proposed  by  a  committee  consisting  of  Rev. 
A.  G.  Wilson,  D.D.,  and  Judge  John  Coates,  adopted  by  the 
Board  and  spread  upon  its  records : 

'*  Claudius  B.  Nelson  was  born  in  Wattsburg,  Pa.,  June  lo, 
1 8 19,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1842,  while  still  3  young  man. 
Engaging  in  business,  he  became  in  time  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  William  Blair  &  Co.,  and  reaped  in  time  the  rewards  of 
his  industry.  During  all  these  years  Mr.  Nelson  has  been 
known  to  the  public  and  his  friends  as  a  man  of  marked  purity 
of  character  and  singleness  of  purpose,  of  great  conscientious- 
ness and  scrupulous  integrity,  of  tender  sympathy  and  large 
liberality  for  all  worthy  objects,  and  as  a  blameless,  consistent 
Christian.  He  was  for  long  years  an  elder  in  the  First  Presby- 
terian church  of  this  city,  constant  and  regular  in  attendance 
on  the  church,  and  the  stay  and  support  of  his  pastor. 

"  Mr.   Nelson  was  one  of  the  founders  and  a  liberal  con- 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  399,  400. 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  395 

tributor  to  the  funds  of  Lake  Forest  University.  He  was 
also  a  director  for  years  of  this  Seminary,  and  a  very  Hberal 
contributor  to  its  funds  in  the  days  of  its  struggle  and  dark- 
ness. To  this  beautiful  chapel  in  which  we  meet  he  con- 
tributed about  one-third  of  its  original  cost.  Thoughtful, 
generous  and  devoted,  this  servant  of  Christ  passed  a  busy 
life,  walking  in  the  w^ays  of  quiet  usefulness,  and  leaving  the 
fragrance  of  a  heart  filled  with  the  spirit  of  God.  On  the 
morning  of  the  last  Sabbath  he  fell  asleep.  To  the  bereaved 
family  we  desire  to  express  our  deep  sympathy,  and  to  com- 
mend them  to  the  love  and  comfort  of  the  God  of  all  comfort. 
A  copy  of  this  paper  shall  be  spread  upon  our  records  and 
shall  be  presented  to  the  bereaved  family."  ^ 

At  the  time  the  two  branches  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
were  reunited  Mr.  Nelson  was  chosen  a  director  of  the  Semi- 
nary from  what  had  been  the  New  School  branch,  and  from 
that  reunion  he  served  on  the  Board  until  his  death,  being  one 
of  its  most  efficient  members  and  also  one  of  its  executive 
committee  for  a  part  of  the  time.  Next  to  Mr.  McCormick 
he  was  probably  the  largest  contributor  to  its  funds,  and  was 
certainly  one  of  its  most  prudent  and  spiritual  counselors. 

Hon.  Samuel  McClelland  Moore,  LL.D.,  died  in  April, 
1885,  j^st  after  the  adjournment  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 
He* had  been  for  many  years  a  member  and  chairman  of  its 
executive  committee,  in  which  capacity  he  exerted  an  active  and 
most  happy  influence  through  the  w^hole  administration  of  the 
institution.  The  Seminary  never  had  a  truer-hearted  and  more 
faithful  friend.  His  laborious  and  unflagging  services  in  behalf 
of  the  institution,  continued  through  many  painful  as  well  as 
prosperous  years,  justly  entitle  him  to  the  grateful  regard  of 
his  associates  and  to  the  lasting  remembrance  of  every  friend 
of  ministerial  education  in  the  Northwest.  The  Presbyterian 
Church  has  seldom,  if  ever,  been  blessed  with  a  nobler  type  of 
of  man  in  her  eldership. 

Judge  Moore  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  was  born  in 
Bourbon  county,  August  23,  1821.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Miami  University  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  studied  law  with  Judge 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  407,  408. 


396  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

James  R.  Curry  of  Cynthiana,  Ky.,  where  he  also  first  prac- 
ticed his  profession.  He  made  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ 
in  1841,  when  about  twenty  years  of  age,  and  in  1842  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Martha  Wilson,  daughter  of  Rev.  Robert  Wilson 
of  Kentucky.  In  1865  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Chicago. 
He  had  been  made  a  circuit  judge  in  his  native  state  in  1856. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Superior  Court 
of  Cook  County,  Illinois.  In  1854,  while  residing  in  Coving- 
ton, Ky.,  Judge  Moore  was  made  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church  of  that  city.  After  coming  to  Chicago  he 
held  the  office  of  elder  in  the  South  Presbyterian  church,  and 
afterwards  until  his  death  in  the  Third  Presbyterian  church  of 
that  city.  He  was  several  times  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Assembly,  in  which  body,  as  also  in  the  lower  courts 
of  the  Church,  he  was  always  a  prominent  and  most  useful 
member.  In  1883  Judge  Moore  was  elected  by  the  General 
Assembly  to  be  one  of  its  commissioners  to  the  Third  General 
Council  of  the  Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  city  of  Belfast, 
Ireland,  but  was  prevented  by  his  feeble  health  from  attend- 
ing. Before  this  he  had  received  from  Wooster  University, 
Ohio,  the  honorary  title  of  doctor  of  laws.  In  the  courts  of 
the  Church,  which  Judge  Moore  delighted  to  attend,  his  ser- 
vices were  always  in  demand,  and  he  was  frequently  placed  on 
important  committees. 

In  1869  Judge  Moore  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Seminary,  which  position  he  held  by  suc- 
cessive re-elections  until  his  death  in  1885.  During  a  large 
part  of  this  time  he  also  acted  as  chairman  of  the  Board's  exec- 
utive committee,  a  position  which  demanded  no  small  amount 
of  time  and  toil.  He  also  for  a  time  was  president  of  the 
Board.  He  always  stood  ready  to  serve  the  Seminary  to  the 
whole  extent  of  his  influence.  His  fine  abilities,  his  sound 
judgment,  his  zeal  for  the  institution,  his  Christian  spirit,  were 
recognized  from  the  first  by  his  co-laborers,  and  they  not  unfre- 
quently  laid  upon  him  difficult  and  responsible  duties  in  the 
service  of  the  Seminary  which  required  long  journeys  and 
much  personal  self  denial.  But  he  was  ever  hopeful  of  suc- 
cess, even  in  the  darkest  days  of  financial  depression.     Both  as 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  397 

an  elder  and  a  director  he  magnified  his  office.  A  loving  friend 
and  brother  both  to  professors  and  students,  he  was  frequently 
among  them,  giving  to  them  his  helping  hand  and  his  prayer- 
ful sympathies.  For  the  long  period  of  his  connection  with 
the  Seminary  no  public  occasion  was  ever  permitted  to  pass 
without  his  genial  presence  when  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
attend. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1885,  this  honored  servant  of  the 
Church,  this  noble  type  of  Christian  manhood,  passed  to  his 
heavenly  home,  leaving  his  wife,  one  son  and  four  daughters, 
with  a  wide  circle  of  endeared  friends  to  mourn  their  great 
loss.  In  making  announcement  of  his  death  to  the  General 
Assembly  in  May,  1885,  the  writer  of  the  annual  report  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  for  that  year.  Dr.  Daniel  S.  Gregory,  well 
characterized  this  honored  servant  of  God  when  he  said  :  "  Ge- 
nial and  cultivated  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  useful  and  devoted 
as  a  Presbyterian  elder,  successful  and  distinguished  as  a  law- 
yer and  jurist,  affectionate  and  faithful  in  all  the  associations 
of  private  life.  Judge  Moore  came  to  the  end  of  a  long  career 
honored  by  educational  institutions,  by  the  state  and  by  the 
Church  he  loved  so  well,  and  greatly  beloved  and  sincerely 
mourned  by  a  wide  circle  of  attached  friends,  and  passed  to 
receive  the  welcome  of  the  Master  he  had  so  long  and  faith- 
fully served."  ^ 

At  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in 
April,  1886,  a  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  elder 
William  C.  Gray,  Rev.  John  Crozier  and  Rev.  A.  G.  Wilson, 
D.D.,  to  prepare  a  suitable  minute  on  the  death  of  Judge 
Moore.  The  following  resolutions  were  presented  and 
adopted  : 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Hon.  Samuel  M.  Moore, 
which  occurred  on  the  20th  of  April  last,  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  lost  the 
fellowship  of  a  beloved  brother,  the  advice  of  a  wise  coun- 
selor and  the  living  example  of  a  noble  Christian  life. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  bear  record  that  our  deceased  brother 
was  kind  and  true  of  heart,  just  and  charitable   in  judgment 

*  Minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  18S5,  p.  738. 


398  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

and  filled  with  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ  in  all  depart- 
ments of  Christian  work. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  extend  our  sympathy  to  his  bereaved 
family  and  join  with  them  in  the  blessed  hope  of  a  reunion 
with  him  in  the  immediate  presence  of  the  Lord  and  Redeemer. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased."  * 

Rev.  William  S.  Curtis,  D.D.,  father  of  a  former  professor 
of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis  in  the  Seminary, 
Rev.  Edward  L.  Curtis,  Ph.D.,  rendered  much  valuable  service 
in  the  directory,  from  the  time  he  came  into  it  in  1871,  until 
his  lamented  death.  He  was  a  minister  widely  known  in 
the  Church,  having  held  various  responsible  educational  posi- 
tions, among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  professorship  of 
Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  Hamilton  College,  New  York, 
and  the  presidency  of  Knox  College,  Illinois,  besides  several 
important  pastoral  charges.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Rockford, 
Illinois,  May  30,  1885.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  April, 
1886,  a  committee,  of  which  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  was 
chairman,  reported  the  following  paper  on  his  death,  which 
was  adopted : 

"Whereas,  Rev.  William  S.  Curtis,  D.D.,  has  been  called 
from  earth  to  his  eternal  home  since  the  last  meeting  of  this 
Board,  therefore 

"  Resolved,  That  we  record  our  sincere  sorrow  in  the 
removal  frofn  our  midst  of  one  whose  eminent  ability,  conscien- 
tiousness and  urbanity  ever  commended  him  to  his  brethren  in 
his  long  and  faithful  labors  in  the  Board,  and  we  record  our 
thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  sparing  his  servant  so  many  years 
to  impress  upon  his  age  the  principles  so  dear  to  his  heart. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  death  of  Dr.  Curtis  conveys  to  us  all  a 
renewed  admonition  touching  the  brevity  of  human  life,  and 
that  we  should  be  ready  when  our  summons  comes. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  action  be  spread  upon  our  minutes, 
and  that  the  secretary  of  this  Board  be  instructed  to  convey 
this  action  to  the  family  of  our  deceased  brother."  f 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  469,  470. 
t  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  pp.  482,  483. 


I884-I886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  399 

Dr.  Curtis  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  having  been  born  at 
Burlington,  August  3rd,  181 5.     His  early  years  were  spent  in 
what  was  then   the   far  West,  his  father  having  removed  to 
Missouri   in    1820,  and   subsequently  to  Wisconsin  Territory. 
He  was  graduated  at  Illinois  College  in  1838.     His  theological 
studies  were  pursued  at  the  Yale  Theological  Seminary,  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  where  he  remained  three  years.     After  serving 
the  First  Congregational  church  of  Rockford,  111.,  one  year,  he 
became  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich.,  where  he  remained  thirteen  years.       His  ministry  there 
was  one   of   great  success   and    faithfulness.     His   success   in 
teaching  and  in  preaching  to  students,  while  at  this  university 
town,  was  so  marked  that  he  was  led  in   1855  to  accept  the 
professorship  of  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy  at   Hamilton 
College,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1863  the  presidency  of  Knox  College  at 
Galesburg,   111.     In    1869   he    became   pastor   of  Westminster 
Presbyterian  church  at  Rockford,  111.,  where  he  spent  six  years 
in    pastoral  work  and  where  the   remainder   of   his   life   was 
mostly  spent.     As  a  preacher  he  was  metaphysical  and  pro- 
found, yet  lucid  and   popular  in  style.     Of  his  teaching  his 
former   pupil.    Dr.    Herrick   Johnson,    said:    ''Order   reigned 
conspicuously.     The  student  that  could  not  understand  him 
was  an  idiot.     He  shot  straight.     He  stated  objections  with 
scrupulous  fairness.     Occasionally  he  burst  all  barriers  in  a 
flood  of  eloquent  talk."  * 

In  this  connection  it  will  be  well  to  make  mention  of  the 
decease  of  three  other  friends  and  helpers  of  the  Seminary, 
who  had  borne  a  part  and  rendered  useful  service  in  its 
administration,  though  at  the  time  of  their  decease  they  had 
ceased  to  be  members  of  either  of  its  Boards.  These  were 
John  Forsythe,  Charles  Crosby  and  Hon.  Lincoln  Clark. 

John  Forsythe  was  born  July  3rd,  1830,  in  Ballynure, 
Antrim  County,  Ireland.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came  to 
America  and  settled  in  Chicago  in  1857.  He  studied  law  with 
Mr.  J.  Y.  Scammon,  and  was  afterwards  connected  with  his 
banking  business  for  about  ten  years,  during  which  he  accumu- 
lated a  considerable  fortune.     He  became  a  member  and  after- 

*  Dr.  Nevin's  Presbyterian  Encyclopedia,  p.  lyr. 


400  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

wards  an  elder  in  the  South  Presbyterian  church  of  Chicago. 
Still  later  his  membership  was  transferred  to  the  Second 
Presbyterian  church.  He  was  at  all  times  a  faithful  attendant 
on  divine  worship  and  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Church  in  all 
its  benevolent  work.  He  was  both  a  director  and  a  trustee  of 
the  Seminary,  serving  for  a  while  on  each  of  its  boards.  In 
1875  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the 
directory.  Mr.  Forsythe  was  a  man  of  unusual  energy.  He 
did  with  his  might  whatever  his  hand  found  to  do.  His 
efificient  services  were  given  to  the  Seminary  without  stint 
while  he  was  connected  with  its  administration,  and  sometimes 
he  rendered  important  assistance  in  the  hour  of  its  financial 
embarrassment.  He  was  a  strong  man,  ever  loyal  to  all  his 
convictions  of  truth  and  duty.  He  died  in  Chicago,  September 
22nd,  1885. 

Charles  Crosby  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  in  i860  and  was  continued  on  it  by  successive 
re-elections  until  1876.  At  the  date  of  his  first  election  he 
was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Dixon,  111., 
then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha.  Mr. 
Crosby  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  had 
removed  to  Dixon,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mercantile 
pursuits.  He  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  a  warm  friend  of  the  Seminary.  From  the  time  of 
his  election  as  a  director  he  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  the  institution  and  was  most  faithful  in  his  attendance  on 
the  meetings  of  the  Board  and  on  the  annual  examinations  of 
the  students.  During  the  period  of  his  long  service  on  the 
Board  and  on  its  examining  committees,  the  Seminary  passed 
through  many  discouragements  and  financial  trials.  But  he 
was  always  steadfast  in  his  adherence  and  confident  of  final 
success.  During  the  fall  and  winter  months  of  1873,  ^  period 
of  much  depression,  finder  the  appointment  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  Board  he  acted  as  financial  agent  and  did 
what  he  could  to  sustain  the  institution.  Mr.  Crosby  was  fond 
of  attending  the  Church  courts,  and  especially  the  General 
Assembly,  to  which  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate.  He  finally 
moved  to  Chicago  and  became  connected  with  the  Jefferson 


1884-1886.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  401 

Park  church  of  the  city,  under  the  pastorate  of  Prof.  F.  L. 
Patton.  He  was  a  man  honored  and  loved  by  all  who  knew 
him,  a  fine  example  of  the  urbane  Christian  gentleman.  He 
died  in  March,  1885. 

Lincoln  Clark  was  another  of  the  staunch  friends  of  the 
Seminary  through  all  its  earlier  years  of  trial.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  original  synodical  Board  of  Directors,  prior  to  the 
transfer  of  the  Seminary  to  the  General  Assembly  in  1859. 
He  was  again  elected  to  membership  in  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors in  1 86 1  and  by  successive  re-elections  was  retained  for 
his  efficient  services  in  that  position  until  1869.  He  was  then 
elected  a  trustee  and  in  1870  was  president  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  proving  himself  in  each  Board  a  most  valuable  mem- 
ber. When  the  corner  stone  of  the  first  building  erected  on 
the  Seminary  grounds  was  laid  in  the  early  summer  of  1863, 
he  delivered  the  public  address,  amid  other  interesting  ser- 
vices, to  a  large  group  of  hopeful  friends  and  helpers  gathered 
on  what  was  then  a  grassy  prairie.  His  earnest  and  impressive 
description  of  what  was  certainly  in  the  future  of  the  rising 
institution  did  not  fail  to  thrill  the  hearts  of  his  auditors. 

Judge  Clark  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  having  been 
born  at  Conway,  August  9th,  1800.  He  came  of  sterling  New 
England  stock  in  the  line  both  of  his  paternal  and  maternal 
ancestors,  extending  back  to  the  early  settlement  of  the  colony, 
and  on  one  side  through  a  long  succession  of  Scotch  Presby- 
terian ministers.  Prepared  for  college  at  the  Hopkins  Acad- 
emy in  Hadley,  he  entered  Amherst  College  in  his  twenty- 
first  year,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1825  with  the  honors  of 
his  class.  He  was  then  engaged  for  a  time  in  teaching  in  North 
Carolina,  where  he  studied  law  with  the  Hon.  Nathaniel  Boy- 
den,  and  soon  after  removed  to  Alabama  and  settled  in 
Pickensville  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Here  his  ability 
soon  .gained  honorable  recognition.  He  was  elected  to  office 
in  the  county  and  also  to  the  legislature  of  the  State.  In  1836 
he  made  a  visit  to  Hadley  and  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Julia  Anna  Smith  of  that  place.  On  his  return  to  the 
South  he  changed  his  residence  to  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  then 
the  capital  of  the  state,  where  he  at  once  entered  upon  a  large 


402  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

and  influential  professional  practice.  He  was  for  a  time  attor- 
ney general  of  the  state  and  afterward  judge  on  the  circuit 
court  bench. 

In  1837  Judge  Clark  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Tuscaloosa,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Daniel 
Baker.  He  had-  been  thus  far  a  faithful  and  conscientious 
attendant  on  religious  services  in  the  sanctuary,  but  from  the 
time  of  this  public  profession  of  his  faith  in  Christ,  onward 
through  life,  he  was  deeply  interested  and  engaged  in  the  work 
of  the  Church  and  Sabbath-school,  and  took  part  in  all  its 
benevolent  movements.  Shortly  after  uniting  with  the  church 
in  Tuscaloosa  he  was  ordained  an  elder,  and  he  also  served  in 
that  ofifice  in  the  churches  of  Dubuque  and  Chicago,  where  he 
'afterwards  resided.  He  was  several  times  a  member  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  his  influence 
was  always  felt  at  its  meetings. 

In  1847  Judge  Clark  moved  with  his  family  to  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  where  he  continued  to  practice  law.  This  removal  was 
deeply  regretted  by  a  wide  circle  of  Southern  friends,  who  held 
him  in  high  regard  for  his  many  noble  qualities.  But  he  was 
impelled  to  it  by  convictions  of  duty.  He  had  already  manu- 
mitted and  sent  to  Liberia  in  Africa  his  household  servants,  the 
only  slaves  that  had  come  into  his  possession,  and  with  a  young 
family  around  him  he  felt  unwilling  to  rear  them  under  the 
influence  of  this  form  of  servitude.  In  1852-1853  he  repre- 
sented his  district  in  Congress,  but  he  soon  found  political  life 
distasteful  to  him  and  withdrew  from  it  to  give  his  time  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  While  at  Dubuque  he  acquired  an 
ample  fortune.  But,  this  being  much  impaired  in  the  financial 
panic  of  1857-1858,  he  removed  to  Chicago  in  1862  to  resume 
his  legal  practice  in  a  new  field.  Here  he  was  appointed 
register  in  bankrutcy  in  1866  and  filled  that  ofifice  until  dis- 
abled in  1869  by  a  severe  illness,  from  which  he  slowly  but 
never  fully  recovered. 

Judge  Clark,  during  the  time  of  his  connection  with  the 
boards  of  administration  in  the  Seminary,  gave  to  the  institu- 
tion his  whole-hearted  zeal  and  his  eminent  abilities.  Both 
professors  and  students  found  in  him  an  earnest  helper,  a  wise 


1884-1S86.  ASSURED  SUCCESS  AND  PROGRESS.  403 

counselor  and  sympathizing  friend.  No  one  could  come  in  con- 
tact with  Judge  Clark  without  at  once  recognizing  him  as  a 
noble  type  of  high  Christian  character,  a  man  of  enlarged 
views,  of  earnest  devotion,  of  superior  intellectual  ability  and 
unswerving  integrity.  After  his  severe  illness  in  1869  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  from  active  business  and  from  society.  His 
remaining  years  were  largely  spent  in  reading  and  in  the  study 
of  the  Scriptures,  in  which  he  had  always  delighted.  In  1880 
he  left  the  West  and  returned  to  the  scenes  of  his  nativity  at 
Conway,  Mass.,  where  he  passed  in  a  serene  old  age  six  happy 
peaceful  years,  ministered  to  by  loving  hands.  While  health 
and  strength  were  given  he  had  worked  well  in  his  Master's 
service,  and  left  an  honorable  record  of  usefulness  and  integ- 
rity. Nothing  more  remained  but  to  await  the  Master's  sum- 
mons to  a  higher  service.  ''  On  the  14th  of  September,  1886, 
surrounded  by  wife,  daughters  and  grand-daughters,  the  great 
change  came  which  he  had  awaited  so  long  with  a  serene  and 
quiet  mind  and  in  full  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality.  A  few 
days  later  he  was  laid  to  slumber  with  his  kindred  in  the  hill- 
side cemetery  in  Conway." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED. 
1886-1887. 


Department  of  Hebrew  Literature.  Inauguration  of  Professor  Curtis. 
A  New  Dormitory  Needed.  Increase  of  Students.  Action  of  the  Professors 
and  Trustees.  Mrs.  McCormick  and  Her  Son  Decide  to  Build.  A  Large 
Dormitory  Projected.  Plan  Chosen.  The  Foundation  Laid.  Progress  ot 
the  Work.  Mrs.  McCormick's  Interest.  Personal  Attention.  Edifice  Com- 
pleted. Named  Fowler  Hall.  Its  Dedication.  Address  of  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick. Address  of  Dr.  Fisher,  President  of  the  Board.  Address  of  Dr. 
Campbell.  Death  of  Jesse  L.  Williams.  Tribute  to  His  Memory.  Action 
of  the  Board.  Successful  Work  in  the  Seminary.  Its  Spiritual  Tone. 
Larger  Teaching  Force  Needed.  Two  Additional  Chairs  Created.  Tutor 
in  Hebrew  Secured.    Change  of  Name  Confirmed  by  General  Assembly. 

The  faculty  of  the  Seminary,  in  their  annual  report  to  the 
Board  of  Directors  in  April,  1886,  called  the  attention  of  the 
Board  to  the  growing  interest  taken  in  the  department  of 
Hebrew  Literature  in  several  of  the  older  theological  semi- 
naries of  our  Church.  They  urged  the  necessity  of  making 
some  provision  in  our  own  Seminary  for  an  advanced  class  in 
the  study  of  Hebrew,  and  ultimately  for  a  fourth  year  to  be 
devoted  to  Old  Testament  Exegesis  and  Oriental  Literature, 
such  as  is  now  incorporated  in  the  course  at  Princeton,  Union 
and  Western  seminaries.  In  closing  their  urgent  report,  the 
faculty  said  :  "  The  necessity  of  providing  at  the  earliest 
practicable  date  an  assistant  in  this  department  is,  we  think, 
now  clear.  The  endeavor  is  to  elevate  this  department  to  the 
standard  required  by  the  students  who  come  to  us  having 
studied  Hebrew  and  to  make  it  also  worthy  of  a  theological 
seminary,  a  higher  school  of  learning  which  presupposes  that 
the  days  of  academical  drill  are  past,  and  to  place  the  quality 

404 


REV.   DAVID  C.   MARQUIS,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


1886-1887.     FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED.  405  ' 

of  the  Old  Testament  study  on  a  par  with  that  of  the  New." 
In  response  to  these  suggestions,  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  Board  to  consider  the  report  of  the  faculty  brought  in  the 
following  minute,  which  was  adopted  : 

"  We  notice  with  great  favor  the  desire  expressed  in  the 
report  of  the,  faculty  of  attaching  greater  importance  than 
hitherto  to  the  department  of  Old  Testament  Literature  and 
Exegesis,  and  we  endorse  the  recommendation  that  an  assist- 
ant in  this  department  be  secured  as  soon  as  funds  can  be  had 
for  the  purpose." 

For  five  years,  beginning  with  the  session  of  1 881- 1 882,  Rev. 
Edward  L.  Curtis  had  been  giving  the  whole  instruction  of 
this  Hebrew  department,  first  as  an  instructor  in  Old  Testa- 
ment Literature  and  Exegesis  and  then  as  associate  professor 
of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis,  and  he  had  per- 
formed all  his  duties  to  the  growing  satisfaction  of  the 
students,  the  professors  and  the  directors.  At  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Board  in  April,  1886,  in  just  recognition  of  his 
well  demonstrated  ability,  he  was  elected  full  professor  of  Old 
Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis.  Prior  to  this  last  elec- 
tion, he  had  already  organized  and  taught  an  advanced  class  in 
this  department.  The  inauguration  of  Professor  Curtis  took 
place  in  the  Church  of  the  Covenant  on  the  evening  of  April 
6,  1887,  in  the  presence  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  pro- 
fessors and  students  of  the  Seminary  and  a  large  assembly  of 
friends  and  visitors.  The  services  on  the  occasion  were  prayer 
by  Rev.  J.  F.  Magill,  D.D.,  of  Fairfield,  Iowa;  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  by  Rev.  James  McLeod,  D.D.,  of  Indianapolis ;  an 
address  by  Rev.  J.  L.  Withrow,  D.D.,  of  Chicago ;  the  charge 
to  the  professor  by  Hon.  C.  C.  Brown,  of  Springfield,  Illinois, 
president  of  the  Board,  and  an  inaugural  address  by  Professor 
Curtis  on  the  theme  "  The  Old  Testament  for  Our  Times," 
Rev.  S.  J.  Niccolls,  D.D.,  of  St.  Louis,  pronouncing  the  bene- 
diction. 

During  the  session  of  1885-1886,  the  number  of  students  was 
more  than  one  hundred,  which  was  beyond  the  capacity  of 
the  building  to  lodge,  and  the  faculty  had  been  compelled 
to   find  accommodations  for  some  of  them  in  private  houses 


406  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEiMlNARY. 

near  the  Seminary.  It  had  therefore  become  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  another  large  dormitory  building  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  students  should  be  secured,  and  that 
without  delay ;  for,  as  things  were,  there  could  be  no  further 
increase  until  another  hall  was  erected.  The  policy  of  expan- 
sion and  development  had  been  adopted  and  was  proving  most 
successful  and  it  would  not  do  to  stop  this  healthful  growth 
for  mere  want  of  room.  The  need  of  more  accommodations 
had  become  so  apparent  that  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Board  in  1886  the  students  of  the  graduating  class,  twenty-six 
in  number,  laid  before  the  directors  a  respectful,  but  earnest 
appeal,  stating  that  already  a  number  of  young  men  had  been 
turned  away  from  the  institution  for  lack  of  accommodations 
and  pleading  that  no  check  should  be  given  to  the  advance- 
ment which  had  been  going  on  during  the  preceding  few  years. 
This  urgent  and  timely  plea  for  still  greater  enlargement  in 
the  way  of  building,  evidently  prompted  on  their  part  by  a 
deep  and  loyal  attachment  to  their  alma  mater  and  by  grateful 
appreciation  of  the  benefits  which,  for  three  years,  they  had 
enjoyed  within  its  walls,  was  favorably  received  by  the  Board 
and  referred  to  the  trustees.  It  was  evident  to  both  directors 
and  professors  that  now  there  could  be  no  further  great 
advance  without  another  large  public  building. 

Under  these  circumstances,  the  professors  and  trustees  lost 
no  time  in  laying  the  case  before  those  considerate  and  tried 
friends  of  the  Seminary,  Mrs.  McCormick  and  her  son,  who  had 
so  recently  shown  their  abiding  interest  in  its  prosperity. 
They  had  already  done  too  much  for  it  in  its  hour  of  need  to 
think  of  withholding  anything  now  that  was  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  its  complete  success.  Encouraged  by  the  cheerful 
response  made  by  these  generous  donors  to  every  rising  need 
of  the  institution  during  its  recent  years  of  expansion,  the 
professors  and  trustees  felt  free  to  go  to  them  and  ask  for  an 
outlay  in  the  way  of  building  larger  than  had  yet  been  made. 
Their  own  views  of  the  present  and  prospective  needs  of  the 
institution  had  been  enlarged  and  stimulated  by  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  past  few  years,  and  they  felt  emboldened  to 
think  that  the  earnest  enlishtened    zeal    of   these   well   tried 


1886-1887.    FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED.  40/ 

donors  would  fully  respond  to  the  large  demand  which  the 
emergency  now  made  upon  them. 

Nor  were  they  mistaken.  When  the  faculty  reported  at 
the  close  of  the  session  of  1885-1886  that  some  of  the 
students  had  been  obliged  to  find  rooms  outside  of  the  build- 
ings, and  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  secure  any  further 
increase  in  the  future  without  additional  dormitory  and 
lecture  room  facilities,  the  urgent  need  of  enlargement  was  at 
once  admitted.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCormick  both  attended  the 
exercises  of  the  graduating  class  in  April,  1886,  which  were 
unusually  interesting  and  impressive.  Before  leaving  the 
Ghurch  of  the  Covenant,  where  they  were  held,  Mrs. 
McCormick  said  to  the  professors  that  the  new  dormitory 
ought  to  be  built  at  once  and  that  she  and  her  son  would  be 
responsible  for  its  whole  cost.  A  meeting  of  consultation 
with  the  professors  was  soon  called,  and  it  was  then  decided 
that  a  large  and  costly  building,  exceeding  anything  as  yet 
on  the  grounds,  should  be  erected  with  as  little  delay  as 
possible.  Architect  A.  Page  Brown  of  New  York  was  chosen 
to  prepare  plans,  builders  were  selected,  the  plan  and  site 
determined  on,  it  having  been  decided  that  a  brick  and  stone 
edifice,  four  stories  in  height  above  the  basement,  one  hundred 
and  forty  feet  in  length  and  fifty  in  breadth,  to  contain  two 
large  lecture  rooms  and  study  and  sleeping  rooms  for  sixty 
students,  all  to  be  finished  off  and  completely  furnished  in 
elegant  style,  should  be  put  up  as  soon  as  such  a  structure 
could  be  built.  Ground  was  broken  for  it  in  May,  1886.  Mrs. 
McCormick's  interest  in  the  undertaking  was  so  great  that  she 
determined  to  remain  at  home  in  the  city  that  summer  that 
she  might  be  at  hand  to  consult  with  the  professors, 
architects  and  builders  and  give  her  personal  attention  as  the 
work  progressed. 

The  work  was  somewhat  retarded  during  the  summer  on 
account  of  certain  modifications  which  had  to  be  made  in 
the  plan,  but  it  was  pushed  forward  with  vigor  through  the 
autumn  and  winter.  In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1887  it  was 
carried  forward  with  so  much  success  that  by  the  opening  of 
the  session  in  September  it  was  completed,  fully  furnished  and 


408  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

ready  for  occupancy.  Everything  about  the  massive  and 
elegant  structure  was  so  convenient,  so  well  arranged,  so  home- 
like and  perfectly  equipped,  that  all  the  rooms  in  it  were  at 
once  occupied  by  students.  In  compliment  to  Mrs.  McCor- 
mick,  who,  with  her  son,  had  borne  the  whole  expense,  both  for 
the  building,  the  furniture  and  its  surrounding  improvements, 
the  faculty  proposed  that  the  building  should  bear  her  name. 
The  executive  committee,  to  whom  the  question  of  name  was 
referred  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  decided  that  it  should  be 
called  Fowler  Hall,  in  honor  of  Mrs.  McCormick's  maiden 
name,  Nettie  Fowler.  Accordingly,  during  the  erection  of  the 
building,  a  finely  polished  tablet  of  Tennessee  marble  was 
placed  in  the  wall  of  the  broad  vestibule,  with  the  inscription 
Fowler  Hall.  As  the  last  edifice  of  the  Seminary  group, 
erected  in  1883,  had  been  dedicated  with  the  inscription 
McCormick  Hall  upon  its  front,  in  memory  of  the  honored 
husband,  nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  than  that  this  new 
edifice  of  1887  should  bear  the  name  of  the  loved  and  honored 
wife.  For  all  seminaiy  purposes,  probably  no  two  buildings 
have  been  erected  in  our  country  more  complete  and  admira- 
bly adapted  to  their  use.  The  estimated  cost  of  Fowler  Hall, 
when  its  foundations  were  laid,  was  one  hundred  and  ten 
thousand  dollars,  but  the  whole  outlay,  including  cost  of  furni- 
ture and  surrounding  improvements,  was  little  short  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-two  thousand  dollars,  all  paid  by  Mrs. 
McCormick  and  her  children. 

The  formal  dedication  of  this  costly  and  beautiful  building 
took  place  on  the  evening  of  Nov.  17th,  1887,  in  one  of  the 
spacious  lecture  rooms,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  assemblage 
made  up  of  professors,  directors,  trustees,  students  and  friends 
of  the  institution.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Dr. 
Thomas  H.  Skinner  of  the  faculty,  and  the  introductory 
prayer  was  offered  by  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Cleland  of  the  Board  of 
Directors.  The  formal  presentation  of  the  keys  of  the  build- 
ing to  the  Board  of  Directors  was  then  made  by  Mr.  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  in  the  following  address: 

"  Mr.  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors :  It  is  a  grateful 
privilege  to  be  present  with  you  this  evening,  for  myself  and 


1886-1887.     FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED.         409 

as  the  representative  of  my  mother,  my  sisters  and  my  broth- 
ers, to  participate  in  exercises  which  are  of  such  interest  to  each 
one  of  us.  My  position,  however,  impresses  upon  my  mind 
the  providential  circumstances  which  have  imposed  upon  me 
the  duty  of  representing  interests  varied  and  important,  a  posi- 
tion for  which  I  am  sensible  of  lacking  adequate  preparation  or 
qualification.  Unavoidable  detention  from  home  has  deprived 
my  mother  of  the  pleasure  of  being  here  to-night,  and  I  join 
with  you  in  regretting  the  absence  of  her  whose  warm  interest 
in  the  Seminary  responded  quickly  to  the  need  for  more  rooms 
for  students  and  who,  with  heart  pledged  to  the  work  and 
untiring  hand,  has  more  than  realized  all  our  hopes,  lending  to 
the  pleasant  task,  through  months  of  winter  and  through  sum- 
mer's heat,  a  personal  attention  to  all  the  details  which  will 
ever  associate  her  with  this  building. 

"  The  deep  significance  of  the  present  occasion,  it  seems  to 
me,  is  not  alone  that  another  building  is  dedicated  to  the  high 
service  of  this  cause,  but  that  this  ceremony  marks  another 
epoch  in  the  life  and  history  of  this  Seminary,  which  is  itself  a 
representative  institution,  being  the  exponent  and  indicator  of 
the  progress  of  theological  thought  in  this  important  and  large 
section  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  This  occasion  also  gives 
another  opportunity  of  emphasizing  the  great  principle  which 
is  fundamental  to  the  work  which  is  carried  on  here,  a  principle 
of  truth  insuring  the  most  perfect  freedom  and  a  devotion  of 
personal  efforts  to  proclaim  that  truth  to  all  men.  We  cannot 
estimate  the  true  value  of  the  results  which  may  be  reached  by 
the  constant  distribution  throughout  all  parts  of  the  world  of 
the  personal  effort  of  these  young  men  moulded  and  sent 
forth  by  the  professors  of  this  Seminary. 

''  Grateful  will  the  donors  of  this  building  be  to  know  that  it 
is  a  factor  in  such  work,  and  our  constant  and  earnest  hope  is 
that  both  professors  and  students  here  may  hold  fast  to  the  old 
standards  of  the  reunited  Church,  maintaining  them  as  a 
defence  against  all  so-called  "  progress  of  thought "  which  aims 
insidiously  at  the  simple  truths  of  the  Bible.  This  institution 
is  a  growth.  It  has  not  sprung  up  in  a  night.  It  has  been 
responsive  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  a  great  new  country.     It  is 


410  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

a  result  of  steady  and  determined  labor.  It  has  been  blessed 
of  God  by  a  development  the  rapidity  of  which  is  without 
precedent,  but  its  external  equipments  have  simply  kept  pace 
with  the  extraordinary  demand  for  laborers  in  this  part  of  the 
great  field  of  our  Church. 

•'The  future  of  this  institution  seems  bright.  Its  field  is 
almost  illimitable.  There  is  still  important  work  to  be  done 
along  the  lines  on  which  we  have  been  working  during  the  last 
few  years,  and  the  opportunities  for  further  increase  are  so  many 
that  dependence  upon  any  single  interest  would  necessarily  be 
inadequate  to  the  needs  of  this  great  cause.  At  this  juncture 
we  should  be  devoutly  thankful  that  a  new  but  strong  arm  has 
been  lifted  for  our  assistance,  and  that  we  are  thus  benefited, 
not  alone  by  additional  means,  but  also  by  the  wisdom'  of  an 
experienced  counselor  upon  our  Board  of  Trustees.*  I  am  also 
happy  to  say  that  since  my  return  to  the  city  this  morning 
the  pleasant  information  has  been  afforded  me  that  a  liberal 
friend  from  a  neighboring  city,  within  the  bounds  of  this  state, 
is  contemplating  a  handsome  additional  endowment  of  a 
special  character,  which  will  be  peculiarly  grateful  to  our 
students. 

*'  Mr.  President,  permit  me  to  refer  to  one  whose  absence 
any  occasion  of  this  nature  must  call  to  our  minds  and  of 
whose  wise  and  afTectionate  counsels  we  are  deprived  at  a  time 
when  we  are  realizing  the  very  results  which  he  ever  sought 
and  hoped  for.  From  our  present  standpoint  we  can  well 
appreciate  his  foresight,  at  that  early  period,  of  the  future 
needs  of  the  Church  and  his  unflagging  interest  in  the  service 
of  this  institution  to  the  end  of  his  life.  Sir,  this  building 
which  I  tender  to  you  in  your  official  capacity  is  complete 
and  is  furnished  throughout.  I  hand  you  this  key  in  token  of 
the  full  possession  which  I  now  confer  on  you  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  this  I  do  in  the  name 
and  by  the  full  consent  of  the  donors." 

This  strikingly  appropriate  and  whole-hearted  address 
elicited  applause  during  its  delivery  and  was  followed  by  pro- 
longed applause  at  its  close.     It  seemed  to  those  who  knew  the 

*■'  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons. 


1886-1887.     FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED.         411 

-whole  history  of  the  Seminary  from  its  origin  a  striking  coin- 
cidence that  the  gentleman  who  was  president  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  at  this  time,  and  on  whom  it  now  devolved  to  accept 
the  symbol  of  ownership  from  Mr.  McCormick's  hands  and  to 
make  the  response,  was  Rev.  Daniel  W.  Fisher,  D.D.,  che 
president  of  Hanover  College,  Indiana,  the  very  college  in  con- 
nection with  which  this  Seminary  was  first  organized  with  its 
one  professor  and  its  two  students  in  the  year  1830. 

Dr.  Fisher  replied  in  the  following  terms: 

'*  As  the  president  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  this  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  I  am  on  the  present  occasion  to  respond  to 
the  words  which  have  been  spoken  by  you,  Mr.  McCormick, 
for  yourself  and  your  mother,  your  sisters  and  brothers,  as  the 
representatives  of  your  honored  father.  In  the  presence  of 
the  great  gift  which  you  have  now  formally  consummated, 
anything  that  can  be  said  must  seem  to  be  poor  and  inade- 
quate. Before  such  a  deed  mere  words  of  recognition  appear 
to  be  very  little.  Nevertheless,  as  the  only  thing  that  can 
appropriately  be  done,  allow  me  in  the  name  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  in  whom  this  Seminary  has  its  corporate  existence, 
first  of  all  devoutly  to  thank  God  for  having  put  into  your 
hands  the  ability  to  make  this  great  gift  and  the  disposition  to 
bestow  it,  and  then  most  heartily  to  thank  you  for  the  noble 
benefaction. 

*'  In  speaking  for  the  Board,  I  am  more  remotely  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  under  whose  laws  this  body  has  been  constituted  and 
in  whose  name  it  conducts  the  affairs  of  the  Seminary.  On 
behalf  of  this  great  church  I  thank  you  for  this  noble  contribu- 
tion directly  to  the  cause  of  theological  education  and  indi- 
rectly to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  throughout  the  world. 
While  perhaps  it  would  be  too  much  for  me  to  take  upon 
myself  to  speak  for  other  denominations,  I  am  confident  that, 
wherever  among  evangelical  Christians  this  act  of  your  gen- 
erosity is  known,  it  will  be  rejoiced  over  as  the  rich  ripe 
fruit  of  our  holy  religion  and  held  up  as  an  example  worthy  of 
imitation, 

*'  I  need  say  nothing  of  the  beauty  of  this  new  hall,  or  of  its 


412  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

adaptation  to  the  service  for  which  it  has  been  erected.  This 
Seminary,  in  the  provisions  which  it  now  has  made  for  the 
housing  of  its  students,  stands  second  to  no  other  in  this  land 
or  in  foreign  countries.  We  do  not  desire  them  to  be  any 
better. 

"  It  is  proper  for  us  on  the  present  occasion  to  recognize 
this  gift  as  only  one  of  a  long  series  which  have  proceeded 
from  the  same  source.  We  have  no  disposition  to  forget  the 
men  and  women  who  have,  in  a  smaller  way,  contributed  to  the 
funds  of  this  institution.  Many  of  them  gave  out  of  small 
means  and  consequently  at  a  great  sacrifice.  We  would  indeed 
be  strangely  insensible  if  we  did  not  perceive  the  very  impor- 
tant part  which  the  constantly  enhancing  value  of  the  land  upon 
which  these  buildings  stand  has  filled  in  the  rising  prosperity 
of  the  institution.  We  rejoice  because  the  day  seems  to  have 
come  at  last  when  other  friends  are  disposed  to  rise  up  and  in 
large  sums  of  money,  or  its  equivalent,  to  contribute  to  meet 
the  necessities  of  the  institution.  We  thank  God  for  the 
beneficence  of  Tuthill  King  and  of  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons.  But,  after 
all  due  recognition  of  others,  the  name  of  McCormick  stands 
out  so  long  and  so  conspicuously  as  the  friend  of  this  Seminary 
that  down  to  the  present  time  it  shines  with  a  splendor  peculiar 
to  itself  in  this  galaxy  of  the  generous. 

/*  Nearly  thirty  years  ago  your  honored  father  helped  to 
start  this  school  of  the  ministry,  after  its  removal  to  this  city  ; 
and  ever  afterwards,  until  the  Master  called  him  home,  he  was 
its  steadfast  friend.  In  the  day  of  small  things,  in  times  of 
darkness,  at  seasons  when  the  outlook  was  discouraging  beyond 
anything  that  with  our  present  surroundings  may  seem  pos- 
sible, he  gave  unstintedly  o'f  his  counsels,  his  money  and  his 
prayers.  It  is  even  said  of  him  that  he  made  up  his  mind  to 
carry  the  Seminary  through  those  times  of  trial,  although  no 
other  man  in  the  Church  who  might  have  been  expected  to 
assist  him  in  the  work  would  come  to  his  aid.  Nor  was  this 
attitude  assumed  because  of  an  unwillingness  to  suffer  defeat 
in  a  cause  on  the  side  of  which  he  had  so  plainly  ranged  him- 
self. He  foresaw  the  future  clearly  enough  to  know  that  here, 
as  the  great  center  of  the  Northwest,  was  the  place  where  a 


1886-1887.     FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED.  413 

theological  seminary  ought  to  be  established  by  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  as  a  focus  of  religious  light  and  life  for  the 
coming  generations. 

*'  He  lived  long  enough  not  only  to  make  increasingly  large 
gifts  to  the  Seminary,  but  also  to  see  the  institution  well 
started  upon  the  career  of  prosperity  which  has  been  charac- 
teristic of  these  recent  years.  When  he  died  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  work  of  erecting  the  other  noble  hall,  which  was 
then  already  necessary  to  accommodate  the  increasing  number 
of  students  beginning  to  gather  here  for  theological  instruction. 
''You  and  your  mother  were  left  at  liberty  to  administer 
your  trusts  as  to  gifts,  according  to  your  best  judgment.  Far 
and  wide,  in  smaller  sums,  you  have  scattered  your  benefac- 
tions. You  have  known  no  North  and  no  South,  and  scarcely 
any  difference  between  the  West  and  the  East.  Especially 
have  you  shown  yourselves  to  be  the  substantial  friends  of  the 
higher  Christian  education  in  colleges  and  in  similar  institu- 
tions of  learning.  But  upon  this  school  for  the  ministry  you 
have  especially  lavished  your  benefactions.  I  remember  how, 
when  we  had  accumulated  a  large  deficit  in  our  current 
expenses,  you  wiped  it  all  out  ;  how  you  have  provided  for 
salaries  and  homes  for  professors;  how  you  have  built  and 
repaired,  and  how  to-day  you  bid  us  go  forward  and  enlarge 
the  faculty  under  your  guarantee  of  support.  I  do  not  wish 
to  indulge  in  a  word  of  mere  adulation,  but  the  circumstances 
render  it  proper  to  make  this  recapitulation  of  facts.  We 
thank  God  for  what  He  has  put  into  the  heart  of  the  father  and 
the  wife  and  the  son  to  do  for  this  Seminary. 

"  One  of  the  gratifications  of  the  hour  is  the  evidence  of 
genuine  prosperity  in  the  work  of  this  school.  We  not  only 
have  larger  and  better  buildings,  but  also  far  more  students 
than  in  previous  periods  ;  and  not  only  more  students,  but  we 
believe  better  work  and  plans  for  still  larger  usefulness. 
Along  the  whole  line  there  is  at  least  a  marked  tendency  to  a 
forward  movement.  One  of  the  hopeful  signs  is  the  disposi- 
tion on  the  part  of  others,  besides  the  McCormick  family,  to 
come  forward  and  contribute,  out  of  their  abundance,  and  in 
some  cases  out  of  their  small  possessions,  to  our  wants. 


414  HISTORY  OF  AIcCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

**  In  this  hour  of  gratulation  there  may  be  danger  lest 
we  should  see  only  the  things  that  are  now  supplied.  We  as 
the  friends  of  the  Seminary  must  not  assume  that  there  is 
nothing  lacking.  Perhaps,  were  I  to  undertake  to  enumerate 
the  existing  wants,  I  might  hit  upon  matters  about  which  there 
would  be  differences  of  opinion.  But  I  am  sure  that,  as  the 
institution  grows,  the  faculty  needs  to  be  increased  in  num- 
bers. A  great  school  of  theology,  especially  in  such  a  center 
as  Chicago,  ought  to  have  a  library  which  in  size  and  selection 
and  in  building  would  make  it  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
and  useful  parts  of  all  the  outfit.  One  of  the  characteristics 
of  a  college  or  of  a  theological  seminary  is  that  its  wants  are 
always  on  the  increase  and  they  need  to  be  supplied,  when  no 
longer  as  a  condition  of  existence,  still  as  a  necessity  to  future 
growth  and  prosperity." 

After  these  addresses  the  dedication  prayer  was  offered 
by  Rev.  Dr.  Skinner,  and  then  the  audience  adjourned  to  the 
Seminary  chapel,  where  a  discourse  was  delivered  by  Rev. 
Samtiel  M.  Campbell,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  who  had  been  appointed  for  the 
service.  Dr.  Campbell's  address  was  admirable,  full  of  strong 
original  thought  and  illustration  and  finely  adapted  to  the 
occasion  and  the  audience.  He  took  as  his  theme  "The 
World  is  Growing  Better."  His  clear  discrimination,  his  mas- 
terly argument,  his  trenchant  wit,  his  terse,  classic  style,  his 
skillful  application  of  Scripture  truth  and  his  impressive  deliv- 
ery enchained  the  attention  of  every  auditor  and  elicited  fre- 
quent outbursts  of  applause.  At  the  close  of  this  address  the 
whole  company  was  invited  to  McCormick  Hall,  where  refresh- 
ments were  served  and  from  which  at  a  late  hour  all  dis- 
persed, having  enjoyed  an  exceptionally  pleasant  evening. 
The  address  of  Dr.  Campbell,  together  with  the  other 
addresses  and  services  of  the  occasion,  was  published  in  full 
in  the  Chicago  ''Interior"  of  November  24,  1887.  This  was 
the  fourth  dedication  of  a  public  building  to  the  uses  of  the 
Seminary,  and  to  all  who  witnessed  it  the  occasion  marked  a 
memorable  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Seminary. 

In   the  autumn  of   1886  the  directory  was  again   bereft  of 


1886-1887.     FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED.         415 

one  of  its  most  prominent  members,  and  the  Seminary  of  one 
of  its  most  liberal  and  faithful  friends.  Hon.  Jesse  L.  Will- 
iams, who  from  an  early  period  had  been  closely  identified  with 
the  history  of  the  Seminary  and  was  at  one  time  president  of 
the  Board  of  Directors,  ended  his  long  and  useful  life  on  the 
lOth  of  October  of  that  year,  at  his  home  in  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  where  he  had  lived  over  forty  years.  He  was  of 
Quaker  ancestry  and  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  where  he  was 
born  in  1807.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  Ohio  in  18 14,  and 
soon  thereafter  to  Indiana.  His  life  throughout  was  remark- 
able for  energy,  activity  and  success  in  everything  he  under- 
took. Possessed  of  a  large  and  vigorous  frame,  a  busy  brain, 
a  warm  heart,  an  active  nature  and  an  indomitable  will,  he 
gave  himself  to  his  chosen  work  in  life  with  an  industry  and 
fixedness  of  purpose  which  insured  success. 

From  his  early  manhood,  aye  even  from  his  boyhood,  Mr. 
Williams  was  a  great  worker.  In  the  new  states  of  the  North- 
west, where  his  lot  was  cast,  it  was  not  long  until  his  name  was 
widely  known  as  that  of  a  living  power  in  the  land.  At  an 
early  age  he  became  a  professor  of  the  religion  of  Christ.  He 
was  recognized  in  all  his  pursuits,  as  far  as  his  name  was  known, 
as  a  consistent,  whole-hearted  and  thorough-going  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  Through  his  varied  and  successive 
callings,  as  civil  engineer,  canal  contractor  and  railway  builder, 
he  exerted  a  wide  and  potential  influence  on  the  development 
and  material  progress  of  the  whole  Northwestern  section  of 
our  country,  while  as  a  Christian  man  and  a  staunch  friend  of 
Christian  education  he  wielded  an  influence  equally  extended 
and  salutary  on  all  the  highest  and  best  interests  of  the  Church 
to  which  he  belonged.  In  each  of  these  lines  of  work,  the  one 
secular,  the  other  religious,  there  were  probably  few  men  of  his 
day  who  accomplished  more  for  the  public  good. 

The  pastor  who  knew  him  well  paid  a  fitting  tribute  to  his 
memory  when  at  his  death  he  said  : 

"  Jesse  L.  Williams  was  a  name  well  known  thirty,  forty  and 
fifty  years  ago  to  a  generation  that  has  passed  away.  A  great 
and  good  man,  distinguished  in  his  day  among  his  fellow  men 
in  every  sphere  of  his  honorable  and  useful  activity,  and  a 


4i6  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

devoted  servant  of  God  has  gone  to  his  rest.  He  was  always 
interested  in  all  the  Church  of  Christ  was  doing  all  over  the 
earth  and  kept  informed  on  all  religious  progress,  movements 
and  questions.  In  his  own  denomination  his  influence  was 
exerted  and  felt,  both  East  and  West.  H^  attended  the 
General  Assemblies  whenever  he  could,  whether  a  member  or 
not,  and,  having  convictions  on  every  question  of  doctrine  or 
polity  that  came  up,  he  sought  to  impress  those  convictions 
upon  others.  He  was  perhaps  more  widely  known  personally 
than  any  other  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church.  One 
time,  some  twelve  years  ago,  he  said  to  me  that  he  had  per- 
sonal acquaintance  w^ith  ministers  in  nearly  every  Presbytery 
of  our  Church  in  the  United  States." 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Directors,  April,  1887,  a  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  Rev.  W.  W.  Harsha,  D.D.,  Rev.  John 
Crozier  and  Col.  R.  B.  Mason,  appointed  by  the  Board,  reported 
for  adoption  the  following  memorial  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Williams: 

"  Whereas,  since  the  last  annual  meeting  of  this  Board,  it 
has  pleased  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  to  call  from  his 
active  and  useful  labors  the  Hon.  Jesse  Lynch  Williams, 
of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  who  had  been  a  director  of  this  Semi- 
nary from  an  early  period  of  its  existence  while  located  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  for  many  years  since  the  removal  to 
Chicago ;  therefore 

*'  Resolved,  That  as  a  Board  we  bow  with  humble  resignation 
to  this  act  of  the  divine  will,  by  which  an  honored  father  in 
Israel,  a  true,  sympathetic  and  faithful  friend,  a  wise  coun- 
selor and  liberal  helper  has  been  taken  from  us. 

"  Resolved,  That  this  notice  be  entered  upon  our  minutes, 
and  that  the  secretary  be  directed  to  transmit  a  copy  of  this 
minute  to  the  bereaved  family  of  our  revered  father  and  to 
assure  them  of  the  sympathy  of  this  Board."  "^ 

The  session  of  1886-1887,  as  reported  by  the  faculty  to  the 
Board  of  Directors,  was  one  of  increased  prosperity,  diligence 
and  success  in  all  the  departments  of  Seminary  work  During 
that  session  the  number  of  students  in  attendance  increased  to 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2.  p.  517. 


1SS6-1887.     FOWLER  HALL  ERECTED  AND  DEDICATED.         417 

one  hundred  and  eleven.  Every  professor  was  at  his  post 
throughout  the  term  and  no  exercise  was  omitted  on  account 
of  sickness.  At  no  former  time  was  there  shown  more  satis- 
factory progress  in  study  on  the  part  of  the  students.  The 
whole  tone  of  the  institution  was  healthful  and  hopeful  in  the 
promotion  of  spiritual  life.  An  increasing  interest  in  the 
cause  of  foreign  missions  was  evidenced  in  the  large  number 
who  offered  themselves  for  service  in  the  foreign  field  and  in 
the  fact  that  six  members  of  the  senior  class  were  accepted  by 
our  Foreign  Board  and  one  also  by  the  Foreign  Board  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church.  The  examining  committee 
at  the  close  of  the  session  called  the  attention  of  the  Board  to 
this  encouraging  condition  of  the  Seminary  in  the  following 
terms : 

"  Your  committee  have,  during  their  visit,  observed  such 
tokens  of  spiritual  health  and  evangelical  growth  as  call  for 
devout  gratitude  to  God.  It  is  an  occasion  for  special  grati- 
tude that  the  Seminary  has  been  employed  by  the  Head  of 
the  Church  as  an  instrumentality  in  nourishing  the  piety  of 
the  young  men  under  your  care.  Your  committee  have  no 
recommendations  to  make,  and  we  are  pleased  to  express  our 
hearty  appreciation  of  the  excellent  work  done  in  the  Semi- 
nary during  the  past  year. 

J.  T.  Magill, 
James  McLeod." 

The  large  increase  of  students  and  the  widening  prospects  of 
the  Seminary  led  the  faculty  in  their  report  to  the  Board  at 
this  meeting,  1887,  to  urge  the  importance  of  increasing  the 
teaching  force  by  the  election  of  two  additional  instructors.. 
They  felt  that  one  was  needed  to  teach  the  Hebrew  language 
and  literature  and  another  to  give  instruction  concerning  the 
historic  defences  of  Christianity  in  connection  with  Christian 
missions  and  aggressive  evangelism.  They  said  :  ''  We  trust 
the  Board  will  make  these  additions  to  the  staff  of  instruction 
at  this  meeting.  It  is  in  our  judgment  essential  to  the  placing 
of  this  institution  abreast  of  the  other  seminaries  of  the  land." 
In  response  to  these  suggestions  the  Board  of  Directors,  before 
adjourning,  adopted  the  following  resolutions  : 


4i8  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

"  1st.  That  the  faculty  employ  for  the  next  Seminary  year 
a  tutor  in  Hebrew,  with  such  compensation  as  the  trustees 
may  deem  advisable. 

"  2nd.  That  two  additional  chairs  of  the  Seminary  be  cre- 
ated, first,  a  chair  of  Apologetics  and  Missions  and,  second,  a 
chair  of  Oriental  Literature  and  Old  Testament  History. 

"  3rd.  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  recom- 
mend suitable  men  for  either  or  both  of  these  chairs,  as  soon 
as  their  support  can  be  provided  for."  Drs.  Harsha,  Cleland 
and  Fisher  and  Messrs.  McCormick  and  Mason  constituted 
the  committee.  The  Board  of  Directors  having  thus  author- 
ized the  appointment  by  the  faculty  of  an  assistant  teacher  in 
the  Hebrew  language,  Rev.  Augustus  S.  Carrier  was  chosen  for 
the  position.  Mr.  Carrier  entered  upon  his  duties  as  instructor 
in  Hebrew  at  the  opening  of  the  session  of  1 887-1 888. 

In  relation  to  the  change  of  the  name  of  the  Seminary,  the 
Board  of  Directors  received  a  communication  from  the  stated 
clerk  of  the  General  Assembly,  which  was  ordered  to  be  placed 
on  record  in  the  minutes  of  the  Board,  and  is  as  follows  : 

"  Cincinnati,  O.,  March  25,  1887. 
To  the   Board  of   Directors  of  the   Presbyterian  Theological 

Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

Gentlemen  :  The  General  Assembly,  at  its  meeting  in 
Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  May  28,  1886,  took  action  affecting 
the  Seminary  in  your  charge,  as  follows :     It  was  resolved  ; 

1st.  That  article  2,  section  2,  of  the  constitution  of  the 
Seminary,  be  re-enacted  with  the  change  of  name  as  desired, 
viz. :  the  substitution  of  the  name  of  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Jr., 
for  that  of  Cyru-s  H.  McCormick. 

2nd.  That  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest  be  hereby  authorized  to 
change  the  corporate  name  of  the  same,  so  that  it  shall  read 
The  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

Wm.  H.  Roberts, 

Stated  Clerk."* 

*  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  4S8. 


HON.   ROSWELL  B.   MASON. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED. 
1888. 


The  Scholarship  Fund.  Why  Needed.  Large  Addition  to  it.  Dr. 
Pearsons's  Gift.  Its  Value.  Its  Timely  Aid.  Increase  of  Students.  A 
Wise  Beneficence.  Investment  of  the  Funds.  Change  of  Policy.  Dwell- 
ings Built  for  Rent.  Whole  Number  of  Houses.  Closing  Services  of  the 
Session.  Thanks  to  Mrs.  McCormick  and  Her  Son.  A  New  Donation. 
Col.  Dudley  C.  Smith.  A  Fellowship  Founded.  Its  Aims  and  Provisions. 
Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  Feeling  of  Professors  and  Students. 
Report  of  Trustees.  All  Conditions  of  the  Seminary  Property  Fulfilled. 
The  Title  Absolute  and  Complete.  Influence  of  the  Institution.  Growth  of 
Churches  through  Its  Agency.  Other  Denominations  Benefited.  Influence 
on  Foreign  Missions.     On  the  Home  Field.     The  Seminary  Alumni. 

About  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  Fowler  Hall  in  Novem- 
ber, 1887,  the  professors,  trustees  and  directors  of  the  Semi- 
nary were  greatly  cheered  by  the  receipt  of  much  the  largest 
contribution  that  had  ever  been  made  to  the  scholarship  funds 
of  the  institution.  Nothing  could  have  been  more  opportune 
and  acceptable  than  a  donation  for  this  particular  purpose. 
The  friends  of  the  Seminary,  and  especially  its  faculty,  had 
long  felt  the  want  of  an  increased  scholarship,  endowment  to 
meet  the  wants  of  the  increasing  number  of  students  who  had 
to  be  assisted  from  year  to  year  out  of  this  fund.  All  the 
scholarships  hitherto  founded,  in  whole  or  in  part,  amounted 
to  only  $36,628,  and  even  of  this  sum  only  $29,028  had  been 
paid  in.  The  income  had  always  been  wholly  inadequate 
to  meet  the  demands  made  upon  it,  but  the  deficiency  during 
the  few  years  just  preceding,  owing  to  the  increase  of  students, 
had  become  especially  difficult  to  provide  for.  In  this  emer- 
gency,   under   the    good    providence    of    God,    a   new   friend 

419 


420  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

appeared  and  by  one  unexpected  and  munificent  contribution 
to  this  fund  removed  to  a  large  extent  the  pressing  difficulty 
and  filled  all  hearts  with  grateful  acknowledgments.  This 
was  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons,  an  old  resident  and  wealthy  physician 
of  Chicago,  and  a  man  in  close  affiliation  with  the  Presby- 
terian Church.  Wishing  to  contribute  a  portion  of  his  sub- 
stance to  the  cause  of  ministerial  education  where  it  would 
accomplish  the  greatest  good  and  well  satisfied  as  to  the  con- 
dition and  prospects  of  the  AlcCormick  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  came  forward  with  the  offer  to 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  productive  real  estate  in  Chicago 
valued  at  fifty  thousand  dollars  as  a  donation  to  the  scholar- 
ship fund. 

A  called  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  was  held  in 
November,  1887,  in  connection  with  the  professors  and  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  directors,  to  act  on  this  important 
proposition.  Dr.  Pearsons  was  present  at  this  meeting  and  at 
once  donated  to  the  Seminarv',  for  the  purpose  above  men- 
tioned, a  block  of  substantial  brick  dwellings  with  stone 
fronts,  eight  in  number,  on  Burton  place  in  Chicago.  The 
houses  had  been  built  within  a  few  years,  were  in  perfect 
repair,  with  insurance  paid  in  advance  for  several  years,  and 
were  yielding  an  average  net  income  of  eight  per  cent,  per 
annum.  The  donation  was  absolute  and  without  conditions, 
except  that  its  annual  income  should  be  applied  to  the  end  for 
which  it  was  made,  namely,  the  sustaining  of  young  men 
in  the  Seminary  while  preparing  to  preach  the  gospel.  For 
that  use  it  was  unanimously  and  most  cordially  accepted.  At 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  directors  in  April,  1888,  this  liberal 
donation  was  reported  to  them  by  the  trustees,  whereupon  the 
following  minute  was  adopted  by  the  directory  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  warm  thanks  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors  are  hereby  tendered  to  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons  for  his  munifi- 
cent gift  to  the  scholarship  fund  of  the  institution,  and  the 
secretary  is  directed  to  notify  Dr.  Pearsons  of  this  action." 

The  large  contribution  then  made  by  Dr.  Pearsons  to  the 
scholarship  fund,  sufficient  of  itself  to  sustain  twenty  or  more 
candidates    for   the    ministry,    formed    with    the    scholarships 


i88S.  RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED.  42 1 

already  established  a  most  encouraging  feature  for  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  institution  in  the  years  to  come.  In 
theological  education,  since  the  ranks  of  the  ministry  have  to 
be  so  largely  recruited  from  those  young  men  of  the  Church 
upon  whose  parents  God  has  not  bestowed  sufficient  means  to 
meet  the  necessary  expense  of  a  college  and  seminary  educa- 
tion for  their  sons,  a  large  scholarship  fund  becomes  an 
element  of  the  utmost  importance.  No  theological  school  can 
do  its  full  work  and  meet  the  growing  demands  of  the  Church 
and  of  the  world  without  an  adequate  fund  of  this  kind.  At 
the  time  of  Dr.  Pearsons's  gift  the  growth  of  the  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary  during  the  preceding  five  years  had 
been  such  as  to  place  it  third  in  point  of  numbers  on  the  list 
of  our  seminaries.  But  even  counting  that  contribution  its 
growth  in  the  number  of  students  had  been  much  in  advance 
of  the  increase  of  available  scholarship  funds.  Its  pressing 
need  even  then  was  another  large  benefaction  for  this  purpose. 
The  history  of  the  succeeding  six  years,  between  1887  and' 
1893,  has  brought  out  more  strongly  than  ever  the  great  need 
there  is  for  a  larger  scholarship  endowment.  The  attendance 
of  students  continued  to  increase  year  by  year,  until  the 
enrollment  for  the  session  of  1 892-1 893  was  two  hundred  and 
twelve,  which  placed  the  McCormick  Seminary  first  on  the  list 
of  Presbyterian  seminaries  in  number  of  students.  But  the 
scholarship  fund  did  not  increase  during  these  years  to  any 
marked  extent.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  fund,  to  be 
in  keeping  with  the  other  features  of  the  institution  and  to 
meet  the  urgent  demands  of  students  coming  to  it,  should  be 
three  times  as  much  as  it  now^  is,  and  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a 
way  in  which  the  wealthy  and  liberal  friends  of  ministerial 
education  could  do  the  Seminary,  the  Church  and  the  cause  of 
Christ  throughout  the  world  a  nobler  service  than  to  give  to 
the  Seminary  all  the  money  that  is  needed  for  scholarships. 

The  policy  of  changing  the  form  of  the  investment  of  the 
endowment  and  scholarship  funds  from  loans  on  bond  and 
mortgage  to  dwelling  houses  for  rent  erected  on  the  Seminary 
grounds  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Directors  and  first  put 
into  operation  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  1882,  six  houses 


422  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

being  built  that  year  as  an  experiment.  The  policy  was  soon 
proved  to  be  a  wise  one,  as  the  dwellings  were  readily  rented 
to  good  tenants  and  yielded  an  income  of  between  eight  and 
nine  per  cent,  on  the  money  invested.  The  work  of  buildiflg 
accordingly  went  on  from  year  to  year,  as  fast  as  it  was  found 
practicable,  for  the  next  five  years,  until  about  $255,000  of 
these  funds  had  thus  been  invest'ed.  At  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  directors  in  May,  1887,  it  was  reported  that  fifty-five 
substantial  brick  dwelling  houses  stood  on  the  Seminary 
grounds,  all  occupied,  nineteen  of  them  on  Montana  and 
Dunning  streets  in  Lake  View,  erected  on  the  five-acre  lot 
donated  by  Messrs.  Lill  and  Diversy,  and  thirty-six  of  them  on 
Fullerton  and  Belden  avenues,  within  the  city  limits,  erected 
on  the  twenty-acre  lot  donated  by  Messrs.  Ogden  and  Sheffield. 
No  one  of  these  dwellings  had  ever  been  left  without  a  tenant 
and,  the  income  from  the  beginning  having  been  never  less  than 
eight  per  cent,  net  on  the  money  invested,  the  wisdom,  of  the 
new  mode  of  investment  had  been  fully  demonstrated. 

The  whole  number  of  students  in  attendance  during  the 
session  closing  April  ist,  1888,  was  one  hundred  and  seventeen. 
The  closing  services  of  the  session  were  held  at  this  date  in  the 
Church  of  the  Covenant  near  the  Seminary,  in  presence  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  and  a  large  audience,  and  were  highly 
impressive.  It  was  the  third  time  that  these  exercises  had 
been  held  In  that  church,  but  the  first  that  the  elegant  new 
audience  room  which  had  just  been  completed  was  used.  The 
graduating  class  numbered  thirty-six,  up  to  that  time  the 
largest  class  ever  turned  out  from  the  institution.  Seven  of  its 
members  were  already  under  appointment  for  the  foreign 
missionary  service. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  directors,  held  at  the  same  time,  a 
committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Drs.  Niccolls  and 
Ewing  and  Elder  Holliday,  to  draft  a  minute  expressive  of 
the  feelings  of  the  Board  in  regard  to  the  magnificent  gift  of 
the  Fowler  Hall  to  the  Seminary.  The  committee  reported 
the  following  paper  which  was  unanimously  adopted: 

"  Whereas,  Mrs.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  and  the  heirs  of  the 
McCormick    estate  have  within  the   last   year   given   to   this 


1888.  RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED.  •     423 

Seminary  the  building  known  as  Fowler  Hall,  erected  at  the 
expense  of  $132,000,  therefore  be  it  resolved: 

*'  I.  That  this  Board  of  Directors  hereby  record  their  pro- 
found sense  of  obligation  and  gratitude  to  the  generous  donors 
for  their  munificent  gift.  We  devoutly  thank  God  that  He 
has  in  His  good  providence  brought  to  the  Seminary  this 
timely  benefaction  by  which  its  opportunities  for  usefulness 
have  been  so  greatly  increased. 

"  2.  We  heartily  approve  of  the  action  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  in  naming  the  building  Fowler  Hall,  in  order  to 
commemorate  especially  the  devotion  to  Christian  beneficence 
which  Mrs.  McCormick  has  shown  in  connection  with  this 
Seminary,  to  advance  the  interests  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

''  3.  That  the  secretary  of  this  Board  is  hereby  instructed 
to  send  a  copy  of  this  action  to  Mrs.  C.  H.  McCormick,  with 
the  assurance  that  this  Board  rejoice  in  her  good  works  and 
deeply  appreciate  the  aid  which  she  has  in  this,  as  in  many 
other  instances,  extended  to  the  Seminary." 

A  matter  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  was  brought 
before  the  directory  at  this  annual  meeting  of  April,  1888,  by 
Rev.  Dr.  John  W.  Dinsmore,  of  Bloomington,  III,  who  stated 
that  a  prominent  gentlemen  of  that  city,  Col.  Dudley  C. 
Smith,  had  a  proposal  to  make  to  the  Board  for  the  founding 
of  a  permanent  fellowship  in  the  Seminary,  with  a  view  to  the 
encouragement  of  scholarship  among  the  students.  A  special 
committee  was  appointed  to  examine  the  papers  in  the  case. 
The  committee  reported  by  reading  a  communication  from 
Col.  Smith,  addressed  to  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in  which  he 
stated  in  full  his  proposition.  The  letter  of  Col.  Smith  was 
placed  on  record  in  the  minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  It 
sets  forth  the  purposes  and  conditions  of  the  gift  as  follows : 

"  I  propose  to  pay  into  your  bands  the  sum  of  four 
thousand  dollars  ($4,000)  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  fellow- 
ship in  the  Seminary,  on  the  following  terms  and  conditions, 
viz. : 

''  I.  This  fellowship  shall  be  known  as  the  Bernadine  Orme 
Smith  fellowship  of  the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church. 


424     •  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

*'  2.  The  object  of  this  fellowship  shall  be  the  nurture  of 
true  piety  and  the  stimulation  to  wide  and  accurate  scholar- 
ship among  such  students  of  said  Seminary  as  may  see  fit  to 
compete  for  its  income. 

"  3.  The  capital  sum  of  this  fellowship  shall  be  invested  by 
the  trustees  of  said  Seminary  in  a  house  or  houses,  to  be 
erected  on  the  lands  now  owned  by  said  Seminary,  and  shall 
be  cared  for  with  the  same  fidelity  as  other  property  of  said 
Seminary. 

"  4.  The  net  income  of  this  capital  sum,  so  invested,  for 
every  two  successive  years  shall  be  awarded  at  the  close  of 
such  period  of  two  successive  years  to  that  member  of  the 
class  then  graduating  who  shall,  by  vote  of  the  faculty,  be 
nominated  to  the  Board  of  Directors  as  having  attained  the 
highest  excellence,  considering  scholarship,  ability  clearly  to 
express  his  thoughts,  spirituality,  punctuality,  firmness,  indus- 
try and  economy:  provided,  however,  that  the  award  shall  be 
made  by  vote  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  only  when  the 
Board  shall  be  satisfied  that  the  candidate  is  entitled  to  it.  It  is 
also  expressly  stipulated  that  the  income  of  this  fellowship  shall 
be  given  to  no  candidate  who  shall  not  have  shown  a  marked 
degree  of  ability  and  earnestness  in  his  studies,  nor  to  one  who 
is  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco  or  intoxicating  liquors." 

Under  several  additional  headings  the  letter  proceeds  to 
state  in  detail  other  conditions  and  provisos  showing  the  true 
intention  and  spirit  of  the  donation.  The  special  committee 
on  the  offer  of  the  Bernadine  Orme  Smith  fellowship,  made  to 
the  Seminary  by  Col.  Dudley  C.  Smith  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian church  of  Bloomington,  111.,  recommended  the  following 
action,  which  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Directors : 

''  Resolved,  i.  That  the  fellowship  be  accepted  under  the 
terms  and  conditions  made  by  the  donor;  2,  that  the  fellow- 
ship be  referred  to  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  3,  that  the 
Board  of  Directors  express  their  high  and  grateful  apprecia- 
tion of  Col.  Dudley  C.  Smith's  wise  and  generous  gift,  which, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Board,  promises  to  operate  as  a  substan- 
tial stimulus  upon  the  scholarship  of  the  students  in  the  Semi- 
nary." 


i888. 


RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED.  425 


The  professors  and  students,  as  well  as  the  directors  and 
trustees  of  the  institution,  were  much  gratified  by  this  timely 
and  thoughtful  benefaction.  It  was  the  first  foundation  of  ' 
that  kind  which  had  been  laid  for  the  advancement  of  the 
Seminary.  All  parties  were  pleased  with  it,  nof  only  because 
of  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  donation,  but  especially  for  its 
high  aim  and  purpose.  It  excited  a  novel  interest,  and  it 
inspired  confidence  as  something  which  opened  out  a  wide 
future.  It  seemed  to  contain  the  promise  and  the  pledge  of 
more  thorough  study,  a  higher  preparation  and  a  brighter  day 
in  the  coming  career  of  the  institution. 

In  their  twenty-ninth  annual  report,  presented  to  the  direc- 
tory at  this  time,  the  Board  of  Trustees  made  the  following 
historical  statement : 

"On  the  1st  of  May,  1863,  a  donation  was  made  to  the 
Seminary  of  twenty  acres  of  land  by  Joseph  E.  Sheffield  and 
William  B.  Ogden,  within  the  city  limits,  and  five  acres  in 
Lake  View  by  William  Lill  and  Michael  Diversy,  on  condition, 
among  others,  that  the  Seminary  be  maintained  continuously 
at  that  place  for  twenty-five  years.  The  time  will  expire  upon 
the  1st  of  May  next,  at  which  time  the  legal  title  to  these 
lands  will  become  absolute  in  the  Seminary,  inasmuch  as  the 
conditions  have  been  fulfilled." 

That  important  date,  ist  of  May,  1888,  is  now,  at  the  time 
of  this  writing,  several  years  past.  The  conditions  of  the  lib- 
eral gifts  of  Messrs.  Sheffield  and  Ogden  and  Lill  and  Diversy 
were  all  completely  comphed  with  and  fulfilled  on  the  part  of 
the  Seminary  and  its  officials.  The  writer  of  this  history,  with 
every  step  of  which  he  has  been  so  closely  identified,  has  been 
on  the  ground  the  whole  time  and  writes  from  personal  knowl- 
edge. In  the  deeds  of  conveyance  given  by  the  donors  of  the 
land  on  May  ist,  1863,  it  was  stipulated  that  substantial  build- 
ings, costing  not  less  than  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  should  be 
begun  thereon  within  forty  days  from  that  date  and  completed 
within  the  year  ;  and,  further,  that  the  buildings  thus  erected 
on  the  premises  should  remain  thereon  and  continue  in  use  for 
the  purposes  of  a  theological  seminary  for  a  period  of  at  least 
twenty-five  years.     The  first  of  these  conditions  was  complied 


426  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

with  during  that  year  1863,  as  certified  under  the  hands  and 
seals  of  the  donors  themselves  and  placed,  on  record  in  the 
county  court  office  of  Cook  County,  February  14,  1865. 

The  other  condition,  which  required  that  the  theological 
school  should  be  maintained  in  the  buildings  and  on  the 
grounds  for  twenty-five  years,  was  also  met  and  fulfilled  to  the 
letter.  The  stipulated  limit  of  time  expired  May  ist,  1888, 
and  the  institution  at  that  time  had  been  carried  on  continu- 
ously during  each  of  the  twenty-five  years.  Its  doors  had 
never  been  closed  since  the  beginning.  For  no  single  session 
had  it  ever  been  without  its  students  and  its  professors,  its 
organized  classes  of  instruction,  its  annual  matriculants  and  its 
regular  graduates.  The  succession  of  study  from  year  to  year 
had  been  unbroken,  and  the  whole  quarter  of  a  century  in  the 
work  for  which  the  land  was  donated  and  the  Seminary  opened 
had  been  completed.  This  important  fact  is  abundantly  shown 
through  the  pages  of  this  history,  and  is  also  attested  by  the 
recorded  minutes  of  the  faculty  from  the  beginning,  by  the 
records  of  the  Board  of  Directors  from  year  to  year,  the 
annual  catalogues  of  the  institution,  the  annual  reports  to  the 
General  Assembly  from  year  to  year  by  the  Board  of  Directors 
and  the  published  minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  through 
each  year  of  the  whole  period  from  1863  to  1888. 

In  narrating  the  history  of  the  Seminary  some  account  must 
be  given  of  the  decided  influence  which  the  institution  has 
exercised  on  the  growth  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  its 
immediate  vicinity.  In  fact  this  influence  has  been  so  poten- 
tial from  the  opening  of  the  first  building  of  the  Seminary  in 
1864,  and  especially  during  the  later  years  of  its  more  rapid 
growth,  that  the  history  would  not  be  complete  without  taking 
into  view  those  Presbyterian  and  other  evangelical  churches 
which  have  sprung  up  around  it  and  given  a  decided  Christian 
character  to  the  whole  environing  population.  No  close 
observer  at  all  acquainted  with  the  facts  can  fail  to  see  that 
the  early  location  of  the  Seminary  at  this  central  point  was 
a  most  important  factor  in  the  organization  and  has  been  a 
controlling  and  vital  agency  for  good  in  the  upbuilding  of  all 
these  congregations  ;    but  especially  in  the  case  of  our  seven 


i888.  RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED.  4^7 

Presbyterian  churches,  now  fully  organized,  which  have  grown 
up  on  the  ground  since  the  first  Seminary  edifice  was  erected. 

At  the  early  day  of  the  erection  of  Ewing  Hall  in  1864, 
there  was  not  a  single  Presbyterian  church  within  two  miles 
and  a  half  of  this  Seminary  building.  Nor  was  there  an 
evangelical  Christian  church  of  any  kind  within  one  mile  of  it. 
The  surrounding  population  was  either  Roman  Catholic  or  else 
made  up  of  those  foreign  nationalities  that  have  little  or  no 
congeniality  with  Presbyterianism  or  any  order  of  evangelical 
Christianity.  In  fact,  there  were  some  friends  of  the  new  Semi- 
nary in  that  day  who  objected  strongly  to  its  location  at  this 
point  on  the  ground  that  there  was  not  then  and  there  never 
could  be  gathered  around  it  here  a  sustaining  Presbyterian  or 
even  Christian  community  large  enough  to  keep  it  in  counte- 
nance.    For  a  time  this  really  seemed  to  be  true. 

But  ere  long  the  uncongenial  field  was  found  far  better  than 
it  at  first  appeared.  Even  while  the  walls  of  the  first  Seminary 
building  were  going  up,  Dr.  Willis  Lord  and  others  had  been 
exploring  the  ground,  gathering  up  the  few  scattered  Presbyte- 
rian families  of  the  region,  forming  the  children  into  a  Sunday 
school  and  getting  all  things  in  order  to  organize  a  Presby- 
terian church.  Through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  Lord  a  fine  lot  of 
ground  on  Fullerton  avenue  had  been  donated  for  a  church  site 
by  Mr.  Deming  of  New  York  and  subscriptions  for  the  build- 
ing obtained  from  the  surrounding  community.  In  the  spring 
of  1864,  soon  after  the  opening  of  the  first  Seminary  building, 
this  earliest  church  of  the  neighborhood  was  organized  by  the 
presbytery  with  twenty-three  members  and  called  the  Fullerton 
Avenue  Presbyterian  church.  In  the  meantime  its  new  house 
of  worship  had  been  erected  and,  with  a  flourishing  Sabbath 
school,  it  entered  on  its  pioneer  work,  with  Dr.  Lord  in  the 
pulpit  as  stated  supply.  This  little  sanctuary  for  many  years 
formed  a  pleasant  and  convenient  church-home  for  the  profes- 
sors and  their  families  and  for  the  students  of  the  Seminary. 

Dr.  Lord,  besides  having  the  occasional  aid  of  his  colleagues 
in  the  Seminary,  was  assisted  for  a  time  in  the  supply  of  the 
pulpit  by  Rev.  T.  Carter  Kirkwood,  a  graduate  of  the  Semi- 
nary, who,  while  a  student,  became  superintendent  of  the  Sab- 


428  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

bath  school,  and  afterwards  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Lord. 
Following  Dr.  Lord  and  Mr.  Kirkwood,  Dr.  William  M.  Black- 
burn, while  professor  in  the  Seminary,  supplied  the  pulpit  for 
several  years.  Under  his  ministry  the  congregation  grew  to 
such  a  size  that  the  house  of  worship  proved  too  small  and 
quite  an  addition  was  made  to  it.  At  the  time  he  gave  up  the 
pulpit  in  1 8/ I  the  church  had  completed  this  enlargement  and 
had  a  membership  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  with  a  Sabbath 
school  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-three. 

This  earliest  church  of  the  neighborhood  has  had  four  suc- 
cessive pastorates  since  1871,  namely,  those  of  Rev.  William 
C.  Young,  D.D.,  Rev.  Henry  M.  Collison,  a  graduate  of  the 
Seminary,  Rev.  Robert  F.  Coyle  and  Rev.  John  Rusk,  D.D., 
the  present  pastor.  During  the  years  of  Mr.  Coyle's  pastorate 
the  church  so  increased  in  numbers  that  its  house  of  worship 
again  became  too  small,  and  in  1886  and  1887  the  congregation 
erected,  on  a  new  lot  on  Fullerton  avenue,  a  more  commodious 
and  elegant  stone  edifice  at  a  cost  of  $46,500.  It  has  a  large 
and  flourishing  Sabbath  school,  with  an  energetic  and  united 
membership  of  more  than  four  hundred.  In  its  pulpit  not  only 
its  own  faithful  pastors,  but  all  the  professors  of  the  Seminary, 
from  the  beginning,  have  at  times  borne  public  testimony  to 
the  truth  and  from  it  wielded  an  effective  Christian  influence 
over  the  whole  surrounding  region. 

But  this  pioneer  church  while  nobly  filling  its  own  mission 
has  been  followed  by  six  other  Presbyterian  churches  on  the 
same  field,  which  have  sprung  up  under  its  influence,  united 
with  that  of  the  Seminary.  Early  in  its  history,  through  the 
agency  of  its  pastors  and  elders,  together  with  the  aid  of  the 
Seminary  students,  the  foundation  of  a  Sunday  school  and  a 
church  were  laid  in  the  Nickersonville  settlement  to  the  south- 
west of  the  Seminary.  After  the  usual  experience  of  a 
struggling  mission  for  several  years  a  lot  of  ground  was  pur- 
chased and  a  house  of  worship  was  built  with  the  aid  of  mem- 
bers of  the  parent  church,  and  a  regular  Sabbath  service  was 
held  by  the  students,  a  congregation  and  membership  being 
gathered  which  have  since  grown  into  what  is  now  the  Beldeii 
Avenue  Presbyterian  church,  a  few   blocks  distant    from  the 


i888.  RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED,  429 

Seminary.  Here  Rev.  Gerritt  Snyder,  a  graduate  of  the  Semi- 
nary, was  for  several  years  the  pastor  and  did  a  faithful  service. 
The  present  pastor,  Rev.  Robert  D.  Scott,  has  brought  the 
membership  up  to  more  than  two  hundred.  The  house  of  wor- 
ship was  recently  enlarged  and  refurnished  so  that  now  the 
congregation  gather  in  a  very  neat  and  attractive  audience 
room,  with  auxiliary  rooms  to  correspond.  With  a  large  and 
flourishing  Sabbath  school  and  surrounded  by  a  growing 
population,  this  earliest  offshoot  of  the  Fullerton  Avenue 
church  and  the  Seminary  has  not  only  maintained  its  impor- 
tant evangelistic  and  Sabbath  school  mission  through  years  of 
trial,  but  has  now  gathered  in  a  good  working  congregation 
with  fine  prospects  of  extended  usefulness  in  the  future. 

In  the  autumn  of  1866  Dr.  E.  D.  MacMaster,  who  that  year 
had  been  elected  a  professor  in  the  Seminary,  felt  constrained 
to  make  some  effort  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  large  German 
and  Scandinavian  population  lying  a  little  to  the  south  of  the 
institution.  Having  explored  the  neighborhood  in  company 
with  Mr.  George  L.  Spining  and  other  students  then  in  the 
Seminary,  he  fixed  upon  a  proper  location  for  a  mission  and 
then  laid  the  case  before  Rev.  Mr.  Marquis,  who  was  himself  a 
graduate  of  the  Seminary  and  was  at  that  time  pastor  of  what 
is  now  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  church  of  the  city.  Mr.  Mar- 
quis and  his  session  took  a  hearty  interest  in  the  undertaking, 
especially  Mr.  Samuel  Howe,  who  was  one  of  the  elders  and 
also  a  member  both  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  the  direc- 
tory of  the  Seminary.  Under  these  auspices  a  large  Sunday 
school,  mainly  of  German  children,  was  organized  for  Sabbath 
afternoons  on  Howe  street,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  Semi- 
nary. It  was  first  opened  in  a  room  connected  with  a  saloon 
on  Orchard  street.  But  it  grew  rapidly,  and  soon  a  lot  of 
ground  on  Howe  street  was  donated  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wesley 
Munger  of  the  Fourth  church  and  a  school-house  was  bought 
and  moved  to  it.  The  school  was  carried  on  by  Mr.  Howe 
and  members  of  his  family,  assisted  by  other  members  of  the 
Fourth  church  and  the  students  of  the  Seminary,  for  several 
years.  Mr.  Spining  was  an  energetic  superintendent.  In  the 
same  house  the  gospel  was  preached  every  Sabbath  by  Mr. 


430  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Spining  and  his  fellow  students.  From  the  name  of  the 
street,  it  was  called  the  Howe  Mission.  While  supported 
financially  by  the  Fourth  church,  it  was,  in  its  origin,  and  for 
many  subsequent  years,  very  largely  the  work  of  the  Theolog- 
ical Seminary,  whose  students  did  much  to  sustain  it. 

This  early  effort  of  Dr.  MacMaster  and  the  students, 
together  with  Mr.  Howe  and  the  Fourth  church,  to  evangelize 
the  German  population  has  developed  two  very  successful  and 
promising  results.  Out  of  this  large  German  Sunday  school 
has  grown  an  organized  German  Presbyterian  church,  located 
a  little  farther  to  the  south,  which  now  has  its  own  house  of 
worship  and  a  regular  pastor.  Rev.  Daniel  Volz,  with  a  mem- 
bership of  eighty  communicants,  in  connection  with  the  Chi- 
cago Presbytery.  It  is  known  as  the  First  German  Presby- 
terian church  of  the  city,  and  was  organized  in  1873,  Rev.  C. 
Wisner  being  its  first  pastor  and  Mr.  E.  A.  Saalfield  its  first 
ruling  elder. 

In  the  meanwhile,  through  the  twenty  or  more  intervening 
years,  the  original  school  and  preaching  station  of  the  Howe 
mission  have  continued  their  zealous  work,  under  the  care  and 
helping  hand  of  the  Fourth  church  and  its  session.  That  ener- 
getic organization,  under  the  lead  of  its  efficient  pastors,  during 
more  recent  years  changed  the  location  from  Howe  street  to 
a  more  eligible  one  at  the  corner  of  Orchard  and  Centre 
streets,  just  half  a  mile  from  the  Seminary.  There  they 
erected  a  substantial  and  capacious  brick  edifice  called  Christ 
Chapel  at  a  cost  of  $36,000,  admirably  adapted  to  Sabbath 
school  and  other  evangelical  services,  where  their  missionary, 
Rev.  Philip  F.  Matzinger,  carries  forward  his  double  work, 
with  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  church  members  enrolled. 

In  the  spring  of  1885,  another  colony  came  out  from  the 
mother  church,  Fullerton  Avenue,  and  was  organized  by  the 
presbytery  as  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Lake  View. 
They  located  about  one  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Fullerton 
avenue.  This  church  began  with  twenty-three  members,  most 
of  them  from  the  old  church  and  precisely  the  number  with 
which  the  old  church  was  organized  in  1864.  It  soon  gath- 
ered  a  large   Sabbath  school,  and  its  pulpit  was  supplied  the 


i888.  RESULTS  ACCOxMPLISHED.  43 1 

first  year  by  students  of  the  Seminary.  It  then  called  a  pastor, 
Rev.  H.  J.  Frothingham,  who  was  in  charge  one  year.  During 
the  years  1886  and  1887  the  congregation  built  quite  an  attrac- 
tive and  commodious  house  of  worship  at  a  cost  of  about 
$10,000.  Rev.  Leland  M.  Gilleland,  D.D.,  an  alumnus  of  the 
Seminary,  had  only  just  commenced  what  promised  to  be  a 
most  successful  pastorate  in  this  church  when  he  was  removed 
by  death  in  1 891.  This  church  has  a  wide  and  inviting  field 
of  usefulness,  with  Rev.  John  M.  Fulton  as  pastor.  It  has  a 
membership  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

A  fourth  important  organization  took  place  about  this  time 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Seminary  and  under  its  con- 
trolling influence.  After  a  thorough  exploration  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, made  in  1884,  the  professors  of  the  Seminary  became 
satisfied  that  another  Presbyterian  church  was  needed  in  that 
quarter,  much  nearer  to  the  Seminary  and  of  larger  seating 
capacity  than  the  Fullerton  Avenue  church.  The  great 
increase  in  the  number  of  students  and  the  removal,  incident 
to  the  building  of  the  Seminary  houses  for  rent,  of  many  influ- 
ential families  into  that  part  of  the  city,  demanded  a  new 
organization  and  a  larger  house  of  worship  without  delay. 
They  accordingly  secured  the  efficient  services  of  Rev.  David 
R.  Breed,  D.D.,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  who  agreed  to  come 
at  once  and  take  charge  of  the  important  enterprise.  Pub- 
lic service  for  preaching  was  held  every  Sabbath  morning, 
beginning  with  January  11,  1885,  in  the  chapel  of  the  Semi- 
nary, and  a  Sabbath  school  was  organized  in  the  same  place 
for  the  afternoon,  both  of  which  were  largely  attended  from 
the  start. 

The  preaching  of  Dr.  Breed  was  so  acceptable,  and  the  whole 
movement  proved  so  successful,  that  the  way  was  at  once 
made  clear  for  the  organization  of  a  new  church  and  the  build- 
ing of  a  house  of  worship.  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  professor 
of  Didactic  Theology  in  the  Seminary,  had  already  in  his 
thoughtful  and  generous  public  spirit  purchased  a  most  eligible 
site  for  the  building  at  the  corner  of  Halsted  street  and  Belden 
avenue,  opposite  the  Seminary  campus,  at  a  cost  of  $12,000, 
which  he  donated  to  the  church  as  soon  as  it  could  be  organ- 


432  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

ized."^  The  presbytery  met  in  April,  1885,  and  organized  the 
new  body  with  eighty-four  members  and  with  the  title  of  the 
Church  of  the  Covenant.  A  large  number  of  these  constituent 
members  had  been  formerly  members  of  the  FuUerton  Avenue 
church,  where  for  many  years  they  had  done  good  service  in 
the  Master's  cause. 

In  the  election  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  Rev.  Willis  G. 
Craig,  D.D.,  one  of  the  professors  in  the  Seminary,  was  chosen 
a  member  and  by  the  Board  made  their  chairman,  in  which 
position  he  has  since  continued.  The  financial  management  of 
the  congregation  has  thus  chiefly  devolved  upon  him,  and  it 
is  largely  due  to  his  constant  attention  and  to  his  wise,  efficient 
services  in  this  capacity  that  the  work  of  building  and  of  rais- 
ing the  funds  to  pay  for  it  has  been  so  successful.  Immediately 
following  the  organization  of  the  church,  ground  was  broken 
on  the  lot  and  a  beautiful  chapel  erected,  admirably  arranged 
both  for  the  congregation  and  the  Sunday  school,  with  a  seat- 
ing capacity  for  seven  hundred  and  at  a  cost  of  about  $21,000. 
It  was  dedicated  in  the  ensuing"  fall  and  was  soon  filled  with  a 
large  congregation  and  a  constantly  increasing  membership. 
By  the  spring  of  1887,  the  chapel  proved  too  narrow  for  the 
increasing  congregation  and  Dr.  Breed  felt  constrained  to 
make  an  appeal  for  a  larger  house.  This  was  cordially 
responded  to  by  the  congregation.  Funds  were  raised  and 
the  foundations  laid  for  a  massive  edifice  of  brick  and  stone, 
to  be  surmounted  by  a  tower. 

By  the  spring  of  1888  this  spacious  and  elegant  sanctuary 
was  ready  for  dedication.  It  has  on  the  ground  floor  and  in 
the  gallery  a  seating  capacity  for  fifteen  hundred  hearers, 
furnishing  an  auditorium  equal  in  size  and  beauty  to  any  in 
Chicago.  It  has  cost,  including  its  fine  organ,  fifty-two 
thousand  dollars,  besides  the  tower,  yet  unfinished,  which  will 
cost  $6,000  more.  The  number  of  communicants  has  grown  to 
nearly  five  hundred.  All  the  professors  of  the  Seminary  with 
their  families  and  the  larger  part  of  the  theological  students 
find  it  convenient  to  attend  worship  regularly  in  this  church. 

*  Subsequent  to  this  large  donation,  Dr.  Skinner  and  his  family  in  the  next  few  years, 
contributed  to  this  church  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  dollars. 


i888.  RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED.  433 

It  has  grown  up  under  the  efficient  influence  and  the  fostering 
care  of  the  institution,  without  which  it  would  never  have  been 
here  estabUshed,  and  now  it  is  in  turn  repaying  the  institution 
by  the  rich  gospel  privileges  which  its  students  here  enjoy. 
The  Church  of  the  Covenant  has  hardly  a  parallel  in  rapidity 
of  growth  among  the  churches  of  our  denomination,  having 
within  nine  years  grown  to  the  membership  above  mentioned 
and  acquired  property  worth  one  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand 
dollars  all  free  from  debt.  The  seventh  and  last  church  which 
has  been  the  result  of  the  influence  of  the  Seminary  is  known 
as  the  Olivet  Presbyterian  church.  In  a  later  chapter  the  story 
of  this  enterprise  is  given  more  in  detail,  but  for  the  sake  of 
completeness  at  this  point  suffice  it  to  say  that  this  church 
has  grown  out  of  a  mission  established  by  the  students,  has  a 
membership  of  sixty,  with  a  large  Sunday  school,  and  is  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  William  H.  Hormell,  a  graduate  of 
the  Seminary. 

Such  has  b^en  the  growth  of  Presbyterianism  around  the 
Seminary  since  its  earHest  inauguration  at  this  important 
point.  To-day  we  have  seven  flourishing  Presbyterian  churches, 
with  their  settled  pastors,  their  working  agencies  and  their 
aggregate  membership  of  over  fifteen  hundred  communicants, 
in  a  district  where,  in  1863,  we  had  not  a  single  organized  con- 
gregation. In  view  of  these  facts  and  without  in  the  least  dis- 
paraging other  agencies,  who  can  doubt  that  the  one  central 
influence  which  has  been  the  most  potential  through  all  the 
history  in  producing  these  great  results  is  that  which  has  gone 
out  steadily  from  the  Theological  Seminary.  Nor  has  this 
influence  for  good  been  confined  in  its  results  solely  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  For,  while  this  work  carried  forward 
under  the  direct  agency  of  the  Seminary  has  resulted  in  the 
building  up  of  Presbyterian  churches,  its  influence  has  been 
felt  by  the  whole  surrounding  population  indirectly  in  the 
interest  of  other  denominations.  Following  closely  upon  this 
pioneer  leadership  of  the  Seminary  with  its  seven  Presbyterian 
churches,  evangelical  Christians  of  other  denominations  all 
around  entered  the  field  and  have  done  a  similar  work  of 
church  building.     So  to-day  we  have  in  the  near  neighborhood 


434  HISTORY  OF  MCCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

of  the  Seminary  well  established  churches,  with  their  houses  of 
worship,  their  Sunday  schools  and  their  evangelical  ministry, 
of  the  Baptists,  the  Episcopalians,  the  Methodists,  the  Congre- 
gationalists,  the  German  Lutherans,  the  Reformed  Episcopa- 
lians, the  German  Methodists  and  the  German  Baptists,  each 
denomination  having  reared  a  temple  to  the  Lord  where  none 
existed  twenty-five  years  ago. 

"  Except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  that 
build  it."  In  looking  back  over  these  events  of  thirty  years, 
who  can  fail  to  see  that  the  Lord's  hand  has  been  in  this  his- 
tory and  the  Lord's  blessing  upon  this  work?  As  we  mark  all 
this  outgrowth  of  years  in  the  increase  of  Presbyterian  and 
other  evangelical  churches,  and  see  what  influence  has  been 
exerted  and  what  results  accomplished  in  the  christianization 
of  this  whole  northern  portion  of  our  growing  city,  it  is  easy 
now  to  see  that  those  liberal-minded  men  were  not  mistaken 
when  they  laid  the  foundation  of  this  school  of  the  prophets 
and  that  those  earnest  workers  were  all  building  wisely  and 
well  when  they  gave  their  strength  and  substance  to  carry  up 
its  walls.  As  we  go  round  about  its  bulwarks  to-day,  and 
mark  its  towers,  its  spires  and  its  many  temples  of  sacred  wor- 
ship, we  may  say,  with  joy  and  gladness,  **  Behold  what  God 
hath  wrought."  and  cry  ''  Grace,  grace  unto  it."  Nor  is  this 
evangelical  work  yet  ended.  During  recent  sessions  of  the 
Seminary,  more  distant  quarters  of  the  city  have  been 
explored  by  Dr.  Craig  and  bands  of  students,  preaching 
stations  have  been  established,  and  various  religious  services 
have  been  kept  up  from  week  to  week  with  much  interest  on 
the  part  of  the  persons  ministered  unto  and  good  results. 
This  work,  however,  will  be  described  more  fully  a  little  later 
in  the  history. 

Upon  the  wider  field  of  the  Church  at  large  and  in  our 
Western  states  and  territories,  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  what 
has  been  the  influence  of  this  Seminary  during  the  period 
of  its  existence.  It  has  been  engaged  from  the  beginning  in 
doing  one  of  the  most  important  works  that  can  be  done 
on  earth,  the  training  of  young  men  for  the  Christian  ministry. 
It  has  done  what  it  could  to  educate  and  to  qualify  them  for 


i88S.  RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED.  435 

this  high  calling  of  God.  Through  this  divinely  appointed 
agency  of  a  learned  and  godly  ministry,  it  has  given  its 
unwearied  effort  to  supply  our  churches  with  competent 
pastors,  to  meet  the  spiritual  wants  of  this  vast  field  of  the 
Northwest,  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  destitute  within  our  own 
*  land  and  to  the  distant  heathen  nations.  Its  aim  and  its  work 
have  ever  been  to  save  the  perishing,  to  educate  the  young,  to 
bring  souls  to  Christ,  whether  at  home  or  on  pagan  shores. 
Year  after  year,  through  all  its  history,  it  has  been  sending  out 
its  successive  bands  of  thoroughly  trained  and  chosen  sons 
of  the  Church  to  engage  in  this  most  important  and  most 
blessed  service  of  the  Lord  in  whatever  field  at  home  or  desti- 
tute region  abroad  the  voice  of  His  providence  might  call 
them.  A  work  of  such  necessity,  of  such  magnitude  and 
grandeur  in  all  its  bearings  and  of  such  deathless  interest 
to  our  dying  fellow  men,  involving  as  it  does  both  time  and 
eternity,  can  be  measured  only  in  the  light  of  heaven  and 
by  the  worth  of  the  undying  soul. 

The  full  results  of  such  a  work,  begun  in  the  Seminary 
training  and  carried  out  in  the  life  of  each  faithful  pastor  and 
evangelist,  though  they  cannot  be  known  in  this  world,  cer- 
tainly are  not  lost  in  God's  account,  and  all  combine  to  swell 
that  mighty  movement  which  the  gospel  of  Christ  is  making 
for  the  conversion  of  the  world.  In  such  a  cause  no  true  labor 
is  ever  lost.  Each  branch  of  the  Church  militant,  each  mis- 
sionary association,  each  school  of  the  prophets,  each  faithful 
pastor,  each -consecrated  evangelist  has  an  assigned  position 
and  a  designated  work.  Every  one  fills  an  important  place 
in  the  onward  movement  and  will  have  a  share  in  the  coming 
glory.  In  such  a  work,  in  such  a  conquest  "  he  that  winneth 
souls  is  wise."  ''  And  they  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament ;  and  they  that  turn  many  to 
righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever." 

Of  the  students  educated  in  this  Theological  Seminary  over 
sixty  have,  at  different  times,  gone  to  the  foreign  field,  to 
China,  to  Japan,  to  Siam,  to  Africa,  to  Mexico  and  South  Amer- 
ica and  to  our  Indian  tribes.  One  of  them.  Rev.  Edward 
Cornes,  with  his  young  wife,  was  killed  in  a  steamboat  explo- 


436  HISTORY  OF  iMcCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

sion  in  Japan,  after  a  few  years  of  useful  labor  in  that  most 
promising  field.  Some  of  them,  from  time  to  time,  after  faithful 
service,  have  been  compelled  to  return  in  broken  health  to  their 
own  country.  But  most  of  them  have  remained  in  the  great  and 
inviting  fields  to  which  they  were  sent,  where  with  God's  blessing 
they  are  still  bearing  the  burden  of  pioneer  work  and  are 
doing  good  service  in  extending  among  these  vast  pagan  popula- 
tions the  knowledge  of  the  truth  and  the  triumphs  of  the  cross. 
Though  the  number  of  missionaries  which  this  Seminary  has 
thus  far  sent  to  foreign  fields  has  been  small,  as  compared  with 
the  entire  roll  of  its  alumni,  still  it  has  not  been  without  its  tes- 
timony and  its  contribution  to  the  great  work.  It  has  all  along 
its  course  from  the  beginning  given  some  of  its  choicest  sons, 
who  have  been  laying  good  foundations  and  toiling  hard  and 
preparing  the  way  for  those  who  are  to  follow.  And,  though 
in  the  past  the  number  has  been  far  too  few  for  the  greatness 
and  the  needs  of  the  foreign  field,  still  it  is  encouraging  to 
know  that,  with  God's  great  blessing  on  the  institution  during 
the  last  few  years,  the  proportion  of  volunteers  for  this  service 
has  been  increasing  with  each  graduating  class. 

Located  as  this  Seminary  has  been  and  still  is,  at  the  very 
gateway  of  the  great  West,  where  it  stands  in  immediate  con- 
tact and  communication  with  all  the  young  and  growing  states 
and  territories  of  that  region  even  to  the  borders  of  the  great 
ocean,  it  was  natural,  and  as  we  might  say  inevitable,  that  its 
first  urgent  call  should  be  to  possess  this  vast  region  for  Christ, 
to  supply  its  rising  churches  with  pastors,  to  man  its  schools 
with  teachers,  to  send  its  energetic  evangelists  into  every  desti- 
tute settlement  where  the  moving  multitudes  were  taking 
root.  To  all  intents  and  purposes  it  was,  and  it  still  is,  a  mis- 
sionary land,  although  its  missions  are  domestic  missions  and 
its  presiding  agency  in  the  work  not  the  Foreign,  but  the  Home 
Board  of  Missions.  We  should  not  wonder,  therefore,  that  the 
early,  urgent,  reiterated  call  for  pastors,  evangelists  and  mis- 
sionaries from  this  vast  growing  region  of  the  Northwest 
should  press  its  claims  upon  the  students  of  every  graduating 
class  in  this  Seminary  from  the  day  of  its  existence  to  the  pres- 
ent hour.     No  other  seminary  in  our  Church,  out  of  more  than 


i888.  RESULTS  ACCOMPLISHED.  437 

a  dozen  that  now  exist,  was  ever  surrounded  by  a  sowing  and 
reaping  field  of  wider  extent  or  of  more  inviting  promise. 
From  the  first  the  laborers  were  few  and  the  fields  were  white 
to  the  harvest.  And  though  the  laborers  have  been  greatly 
multiplied,  the  harvest  is  still  greater  and  the  fields  still  whiter. 
The  call  for  laborers  has  become  so  urgent  that  the  large  and 
increasing  senior  class  of  each  year  for  several  years  past  has 
had  all  its  members,  almost  without  exception,  engaged  before- 
hand, either  to  enter  the  foreign  field  or  to  accept  the  call  of 
some  church  at  home.  Each  middle  class  is  also  in  urgent 
demand  to  do  evangelistic  and  even  temporary  pastoral  work, 
during  the  vacation  months,  in  the  great  western  field  ;  and  this 
call  has  been  extended  also  to  the  juniors,  some  of  whom  have 
gone  out  with  temporary  appointments  from  our  Board  of 
Domestic  Missions. 

How  then  could  our  successive  bands  of  alumni,  here  at  the 
very  door,  fail  to  enter  in  and  to  reap?  They  did  enter  in,  and 
now  for  many  years  they  have  been  reaping  abundantly. 
Hence,  year  after  year,  from  the  very  first  graduating  class,  the 
great  body  of  our  students  have  given  a  prompt  and  hearty 
response  to  this  pressing  call  of  our  great  home  field  and  our 
Board  of  Domestic  Missions.  Indeed,  so  great  and  inviting 
has  been  the  work,  so  multiplied  and  repeated  the  calls,  so 
strong  and  irresistible  the  plea  from  year  to  year  to  strike  in 
upon  the  vast  whitening  fields  around  us,  that  our  young  men 
have  not  only  been  willing  and  ready  to  go,  but  in  some  cases 
even  to  go  before  they  were,  in  the  judgment  of  their  teachers, 
quite  prepared  to  go.  But  still,  however  great  the  work  or 
wide  the  field  or  urgent  the  call,  whether  on  the  home  or  for- 
eign field,  the  wise  and  settled  policy  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  is  now,  as  it  ever  has  been,  that  our  young  men  should 
not  run  until  they  are  sent,  or  leave  the  place  of  instruction 
until  they  are  fully  furnished  for  their  work.  Our  divine 
Master's  injunction  to  his  first  appointed  heralds  of  the  cross, 
''  But  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  until  ye  be  endued  with 
power  from  on  high,"  is  not  without  its  useful  lessons  to  his 
followers  still. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE. 

1 888-1 890. 


The  Largest  Graduating  Class.  Impressive  Occasion.  Dr.  Hoge  of 
Richmond.  Inauguration  of  Dr.  DeWitt.  Mrs.  McCormick  and  the  New 
Professorship.  The  Central  Building  Named  Ewing  Hall.  Mr.  Ewing's 
Services.  Repairs  to  Ewing  Hall.  Honor  to  Mr.  John  C.  Grier.  Decease  of 
Former  Directors,  Drs.  Phelps  and  Noyes.  New  Buildmgs  Proposed.  Rev. 
James  A.  Reed  Employed  as  Agent.  Action  of  the  Board  of  Directors  about 
a  Loan.  Large  Donation  of  the  Trustees  of  the  McCormick  Estate.  Eigh- 
teen New  Dwellings  Erected.  Chalmers  Place  Opened.  An  Attractive 
Improvement.  Reminiscences  of  Ewing  Hall.  Fire  in  the  Roof.  Taken 
for  a  Medical  College.  Case  of  Contagious  Disease.  Danger  from  Great 
Fire.  A  Place  of  Refuge.  A  Wind  Center.  Dr.  Skinner's  Resignation  of 
His  Chair.  Resolutions  of  the  Board  of  Directors  on  Dr.  Skinner.  New 
Chair  of  Divinity  Established.  Department  of  Biblical  Philology  Created. 
Rev.  A.  S.  Carrier  Appointed  Instructor. 

The  session  closing  with  the  first  week  of  April,  1889,  ^^^^ 
eminently  a  successful  and  satisfactory  one.  It  was  marked 
from  its  opening  by  the  largest  attendance  of  students  which 
the  institution  had  ever  received,  the  number  rising,  as  the 
term  advanced,  to  one  hundred  and  thirty-one.  It  witnessed 
at  its  close  the  largest  graduating  class — forty-one — which  had 
ever  gone  out  from  our  halls.  The  concluding  services,  held 
April  4,  1889,  in  the  presence  of  the  Board  of  Directors  and  a 
large  assemblage  of  Christian  people,  in  the  spacious  audito- 
rium of  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  were  in  the  highest  degree 
beautiful  and  impressive.  In  the  large  graduating  class  were 
nine  young  men  who  had  already  chosen  the  work  of  foreign 
missions  as  their  life  service  for  Christ.  Among  the  directors 
present  on  this  interesting  occasion,  as  also  in  the  large  audi- 
ence, were   staunch  friends  of  the    Seminary  who    had    been 

438 


\ 


\ 


REV.   JOHN   DeWITT,   D.  D.,  LL.  D. 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  439 

present  on  similar  occasions  through  its  whole  history  at  Chi- 
cago and  had  watched  its  growth  from  very  small  and  feeble 
beginnings.  And  among  its  honored  faculty  sat  one, "^  witness- 
ing the  impressive  scene  in  deep  emotion,  who  had  helped  to 
organize  the  first  little  band  of  students  thirty  years  before, 
and  had  borne  a  part  in  the  instruction  and  witnessed  the 
graduation  of  every  successive  class  that  had  left  the  walls 
of  the  institution. 

It  added  also  to  the  significance,  as  well  as  to  the  spiritual 
enjoyment,  of  this  closing  w^eek  of  the  Seminary  term  that  the 
Rev.  Moses  D.  Hoge,  D.D.,  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  a  repre- 
sentative man  of  the  Southern  Presbyterian  church,  was  pres- 
ent to  take  part  in  the  services.  On  invitation  of  the  profes- 
sors and  students,  Dr.  Hoge  had  come  to  deliver  before  them 
the  annual  address  customary  on  such  occasions.  Besides 
preaching  twice  on  the  Sabbath  preceding  in  the  Church  of 
the  Covenant,  he  delivered  an  able  and  eloquent  address  on 
one  of  the  evenings  of  the  commencement  week.  The  sub- 
ject announced  for  his  discourse  was  ''  What  we  learn  when 
we  learn  Christ,"  and  his  treatment  of  it  was  admirable.  He 
presented  the  personal  Christ  as  the  sum,  measure  and  stand- 
ard of  true  gospel  preaching  and  of  all  Christian  life,  so  com- 
plete in  Himself  as  never  to  need  to  be  supplemented  or 
improved.  Both  in  this  masterly  address  and  in  his  noble  ser- 
mons Dr.  Hoge  made  a  profound  impression  on  all  who  heard 
him. 

During  the  preceding  very  successful  session  the  Seminary 
had  the  advantage  of  a  new  professorship  added  to  the  chairs 
of  instruction.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in 
April,  1888,  the  Rev.  John  DeWitt,  D.D„  LL.D.,  then  a  pro- 
fessor in  the  Lane  Theological  Seminary  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
had  been  elected  to  the  chair  of  Apologetics  and  Missions  in 
the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  Dr.  DeWitt  accepted  the  position,  moved  to  Chi- 
cago during  the  ensuing  summer  and  was  ready  to  enter  upon 
his  duties  as  professor  at  the  opening  of  the  session  the  first 
week  in  September.     He  came  with  ripe  scholarship  and  in 

*  Dr.  I,.  J.  Halsey. 


440  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

the  full  maturity  of  his  powers  and  his  experience  as  a  teacher. 
Having  gone  through  the  session  with  his  classes,  he  was  for- 
mally inaugurated  as  professor  of  Apologetics  and  Missions, 
on  Wednesday  evening,  April  3,  by  the  Board  of  Directors. 
The  president  of  the  Board,  Charles  H.  Mulliken,  Esq..  deliv- 
ered a  brief  and  pertinent  address  to  the  new  professor  and 
read  the  official  pledge  required  by  the  constitution  of  the 
Seminary,  which  was  subscribed  by  Dr.  DeWitt.  This  was 
followed  by  Dr.  DeWitt's  inaugural  address,  which  was  deliv- 
ered in  fine  style  and  was  a  clear,  full  and  scholarly  statement 
of  the  whole  scope  and  bearing  of  the  important  subjects 
assiened  to  his  chair  of  instruction.  The  address  throughout 
was  listened  to  with  marked  interest  by  the  large  and  intelli- 
gent audience  assembled. 

It  must  here  be  stated,  as  an  interesting  item  in  the  recent 
history  of  the  Seminar>%  that  after  the  creation  of  this  new 
professorship  by  the  Board  of  Directors  at  the  annual  meeting 
of  T887,  and  on  the  election  of  Dr.  DeWitt  as  its  incumbent  in 
1888,  ]\Irs.  McCormick,  in  addition  to  her  preceding  benefi- 
cences, at  once  assumed  the  responsibility  of  supporting  the 
new  chair  for  a  period  of  five  years  with  a  salary  of  three 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  also  of  building  a  residence 
for  Dr.  DeWitt  on  the  Seminary  grounds,  at  a  cost  similar  to 
that  of  the  other  houses  of  the  professors.  During  the  autumn 
of  1888  this  convenient  and  elegant  dwelling  was  erected,  at 
an  outlay  of  about  $12,500,  Dr.  DeWitt  himself  contributing 
the  sum  of  $2,500  to  its  cost,  and  Mrs.  McCormick  paying  the 
balance.  This  house  fronts  on  Chalmers  Place  and  forms  a 
part  of  the  fine  improvements  since  erected  there. 

In  their  annual  .report  to  the  Board  of  Directors  at  the 
meeting  of  1889,  the  faculty  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  first  public  building  on  the  grounds  of  the  Seminary, 
erected  in  1863,  and  afterwards  called  Central  Hall,  was 
wholly  due  to  the  energy  and  efforts  of  the  Rev.  Fielding  N. 
Ewing,  who  for  many  years  was  a  director  of  the  institution. 
It  seemed  fitting  therefore  that  his  service  should  be  com- 
memorated in  the  edifice  whose  existence  was  due  to  his 
labors.     They  requested  that  the  original  building  known  as 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  441 

Central  Hall  be  named  Ewing  Hall.  The  committee  of  the 
Board  to  whom  the  matter  was  referred  recommended  the 
following  resolutions,  which  were  adopted : 

''  1st.  Resolved,  That  the  name  of  Central  Hall  be  changed 
to  Ewing  Hall,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Rev.  Fielding  X. 
Ewing,  then  a  resident  of  Chicago  and  for  many  years  an 
active  member  of  this  Board,  obtained,  chiefly  in  New  York 
City,  as  the  representative  of  the  Board,  the  sum  of  sixteen 
thousand  dollars,  with  which  the  first  Seminary  building  was 
erected,  thus  securing  the  valuable  property  to  which  the 
existence  of  the  Seminary  is  due.  It  seems  fitting  to  your 
committee  therefore  that  his  valuable  services  should  be 
commemorated  and  perpetuated  by  the  edifice  whose  exist- 
ence is  due  to  his  labors. 

2nd.  The  trustees  are  requested  to  place  a  tablet,  suitably 
inscribed,  on  the  building,  in  accordance  with  the  above 
action." 

The  readers  of  this  history  have  been  made  acquainted, 
in  a  preceding  chapter,  with  the  fine  christian  character  of  Mr. 
Ewing,  and  with  the  important  service  he  rendered  the  Semi- 
nary in  the  days  of  its  early  trials  by  securing  for  it  its  first 
permanent  abode.  This  action  of  the  faculty  and  the  directors, 
in  giving  his  loved  and  honored  name  to  the  central  edifice  of 
the  Seminary  group,  was  a  well  deserved  and  noble  testimonial 
to  a  good  and  most  useful  servant  of  Christ,  and  was  received 
as  a  pleasing  remembrancer  by  all  his  friends  :  *'  by  it  he  being 
dead  yet  speaketh." 

On  examination  it  was  found  that  this  building,  having 
been  in  use  every  session  since  it  was  first  occupied  by  the 
students  in  1864,  was  much  in  need  of  repairs.  During  the 
summer  of  1889  it  was  accordingly  put  into  complete  repair  and 
greatly  improved  as  to  its  internal  arrangements.  Its  rooms 
for  students  were  calcimined,  painted  and  refurnished  with  all 
necessar\'  articles,  at  a  cost  of  eight  hundred  dollars,  con- 
tributed by  liberal  friends.  The  exterior  walls  were  also 
painted  and  some  additions  made  in  the  basement  story, 
through  the  liberality  of  Mrs.  McCormick.  In  addition  to 
these  improvements,  the  large  room  which  had  been  used  from 


442  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

the  erection  of  the  building  as  a  refectory  was  remodeled  and 
fitted  up  for  a  gymnasium,  with  all  needed  implements  and 
apparatus.  Such  a  place  had  long  been  desired  as  a  help  to 
physical  culture,  when  out-door  exercise  could  not  be  taken. 
The  cost  was  about  one  hundred  dollars,  which  was  contributed 
by  the  faculty.  Another  important  change  was  made  at  this 
time.  Experience  had  shown  that  it  was  best  to  give  up  the 
old  plan  of  boarding  the  students  at  a  common  table  within  the 
building.  The  faculty  and  the  directors  took  concerted  action 
that  this  plan  should  be  abandoned  after  the  close  of  the 
session  of  1888- 1889.  This  change  was  successfully  carried 
into  effect  at  the  opening  of  the  next  session  in  September, 
1889.  The  students  all  found  convenient  boarding  accommo- 
dations in  private  families  or  boarding  houses  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  institution. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  1889  a  letter  was  received 
from  ]\Ir.  John  CTGrier,  a  venerable  ruling  elder  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  informing  his  brethren  of  the 
Board  that,  in  consideration  of  his  advanced  age,  he  felt  con- 
strained to  decline  a  further  election  as  one  of  its  members. 
Mr.  Grier  had  been  elected  to  membership  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  1859,  when  the  Seminary  was  removed  to 
Chicago,  and  by  successive  re-elections  he  had  continued  to 
serve  through  the  whole  intervening  period.  In  response  to 
his  request,  the  Board  adopted  the  following  resolution, 
recommended  by  its  committee:  "Resolved,  That  Mr.  Grier's 
name  be  placed  on  the  list  of  honorary  directors,  and  that  the 
secretary  be  directed  to  convey  to  this  member  of  the  Board 
our  very  warm  appreciation  of  his  long  and  faithful  services 
and  our  prayer  that  his  last  days  may  be  under  the  special 
benediction  of  God." 

It  has  not  been  the  writer's  purpose  in  this  history  to  give 
a  full  necrology  of  all  the  faithful  workers  who  have,  at  differ- 
ent times,  been  officially  connected  with  the  Seminary  and 
who  have,  from  time  to  time,  been  called  away  to  their  heav- 
enly home.  Some  indeed  of  the  more  prominent  characters, 
as  they  finished  their  earthly  work,  have  been  thus  mentioned 
in  the  several  chapters  and  commemorated  with  a  distinct  me- 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  443 

morial.  As  we  pen  these  pages  in  regard  to  the  events  of  the 
year  1889,  it  will  not  be  deemed  out  of  place  to  notice  briefly 
the  decease  of  two  of  the  former  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  who  passed  awa}^  during  that  year,  and  who  at  differ- 
ent times,  one  in  the  earlier  and  the  other  in  the  later  period, 
held  an  honored  place  among  us,  each  rendering  good  ser- 
vice to  the  institution.  These  were  Rev.  Joshua  Phelps,  D.D., 
of  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.,  and  Rev.  George  Clement  Noycs,  D.D., 
of  Evanston,  Ills. 

Dr.  Phelps  was  an  efficient  member  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  1859,  ^^  Indianapolis,  when  the  Seminary  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  control  of  that  body  by  the  seven  synods  of  the 
Northwest.  Prior  to  that  date  he  had  been  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  synodical  Board  of  Directors,  and  as  such  he  took 
an  active  part  in  bringing  about  the  transfer.  He  was  elected 
to  a  place  on  the  new  Board  then  created  by  the  Assem- 
bly. From  that  time  forward  he  rendered  much  valuable 
assistance  in  all  the  meetings  of  the  directory  and  in  the 
organization  of  the  Seminary  in  its  new  location  at  Chicago. 
In  fact,  the  institution  had  not  on  all  its  rolls  a  more  whole- 
hearted and  zealous  friend.  He  enjoyed  the  warm  personal 
friendship  of  Mr.  McCormick  and  the  professors,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  directors.  His  lively  interest  in  the  success  of  the 
institution  continued  unabated  until  he  was  called  to  a  new 
field  of  labor  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Nor  did  it  cease  even  then, 
though  by  reason  of  the  distance  he  could  not  continue  to  be 
a  director. 

Dr.  Phelps  was  born  at  Westford,  N.  Y.,  in  18 12.  He  was 
graduated  at  Union  College  in  1836,  completed  a  full  theolog- 
ical course  at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in  1840,  and  the  same  year  was 
licensed  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia.  He 
spent  his  long  and  useful  ministry  in  three  widely  separated 
fields.  In  1840  he  went  to  Florida,  where  he  held  in  succes- 
sion several  important  ministerial  charges  until  185 1.  He  then 
removed  to  the  Northwest  and  was  settled  as  pastor  or  stated 
supply  in  succession  at  Burlington  and  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and 
Beloit,  Wis.,  until  1861.  He  then  removed  to  the  far  West, 
first  taking  pastoral  care  of  the  church  at  Sacramento,  Cal., 


444  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

where  he  remained  until  1865,  and  after  that  acting  as  mission- 
ary and  supply  among  the  the  churches  of  Stockton  Presby- 
tery until  1 87 1,  when  he  removed  to  Santa  Barbara  and  had 
charge  of  the  church  in  that  place  as  stated  supply  and  then 
as  pastor,  until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  relinquish  all 
further  ministerial  work.  Many  hundreds  were  brought  into 
the  churches  to  which  he  ministered  in  all  those  widely  sun- 
dered and  destitute  regions.  In  all  places  and  at  all  times  he 
proved  himself  a  true-hearted  and  faithful  servant  of  Christ. 
He  died  at  Santa  Barbara,  January  4th,  1889,  in  the  seventy- 
seventh  year  of  his  fruitful  life.  His  wife  and  one  son  survived 
him. 

In  an  earlier  chapter  of  this  history  the  reader  has  been 
informed  how  earnest  and  energetic  was  the  part  taken  by  Dr. 
Phelps  during  the  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  directory  and 
how,  after  his  removal  to  the  Pacific  coast,  he  still  "  watched 
with  deep  interest  the  progress  and  prospects  of  our  beloved 
Seminary."  With  him  that  was  *'  the  day  of  small  things,"  as 
it  was  with  others.  But  he  was  strong  in  faith.  He  felt 
assured  that  a  good  foundation  had  been  laid.  And  he  lived 
long  enough  to  rejoice  in  the  crowning  success.  Within  a  few 
years  of  his  death  he  could  say,  "  I  know  that  in  the  sincerity 
of  my  heart  I  labored  for  that  end,  with  other  brethren,  from 
the  very  beginning ;  and  our  work  was  blest  of  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church,  in  the  permanent  establishment  of  that  Semi- 
nary, which  we  doubt  not  will  be  a  rich  blessing  to  the  Church 
and  to  the  world  till  time  shall  end." 

Dr.  George  C.  Noyes,  whose  lamented  death,  January  14th, 
1889,  so  nearly  synchronizes  with  that  of  Dr.  Phelps,  was  elec- 
ted a  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors  by  the  General 
Assembly  in  May,  1870.  It  was  just  after  the  reunion  of  the 
two  branches  of  the  Church  and  he  was  one  of  the  ten  new 
members  chosen  by  the  Assembly  of  that  year  from  what  had 
formerly  been  the  New  School  branch,  in  order  to  give  to  each 
side  a  share  in  the  administration  of  the  Seminary.  He 
became  at  once  an  ef^cient  and  influential  worker  on  the 
Board,  regular  in  his  attendance  at  its  meetings,  serving  faith- 
fully on  its  important  committees  and  taking  a  leading  part  in 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  445 

all  its  discussions.  It  was  his  nature  to  do  with  energ>^,  with 
earnest  fidelity,  and  with  conscientious  convictions  of  duty, 
whatever  he  attempted.  By  successive  re-elections  he  con- 
tinued in  this  service  until  1881,  when  he  felt  constrained,  by 
difference  of  views  as  to  policy  between  himself  and  other 
members  of  the  Board,  to  resign  the  position. 

Dr.  Noyes  w^as  born  in  Landaff,  N.  H.,  August  4th,  1833. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  became  a  Christian  and  from  that 
time  it  was  his  purpose  to  become  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
He  was  graduated  with  the  first  honor  of  his  class  in  the 
Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville  in  1855.  He  then  entered  the 
Union  Theological  Seminary  in  the  city  of  New  York,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1858.  The  same  year  he  married  Miss 
Ellen  Smith,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  David  A.  Smith,  of  Jackson- 
ville, who  became  the  mother  of  his  six  sons  and  one  daughter. 
The  same  year  also  he  was  ordained  and  installed  in  his  first 
pastoral  charge  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  La  Porte,  Ind. 
After  a  fruitful  ministry  of  ten  years  in  this  place,  he  removed 
to  Evanston,  111.,  in  1868,  where  he  became  pastor  of  its  First 
Presbyterian  church,  and  where  for  more  than  twenty  years  he 
continued  to  minister,  with  unremitting  zeal  and  with  signal 
success,  until  his  death.  In  each  of  these  fields  he  was  to  an 
eminent  degree  a  laborious,  efficient,  popular  and  faithful 
pastor.  At  Evanston,  notwithstanding  the  destruction  of  his 
house  of  worship  by  fire  and  the  organization  of  other  churches 
in  his  vicinity,  his  own  church  and  Sabbath  school  grew  steadily 
during  all  the  period,  until  his  roll  of  communicants  had  risen 
to  nearly  five  hundred  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

The  beneficent  agency  of  Dr.  Noyes  was  far  from  being  con- 
fined to  the  people  of  his  own  particular  charge.  He  kept 
fully  abreast  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived  and  took  an  active 
part  in  all  efforts  made  for  the  public  good,  for  the  furtherance 
of  the  gospel,  the  extension  of  the  Church,  the  education  of  the 
young,  the  welfare  of  society,  the  stability  and  progress  of  the 
country.  His  views  and  sympathies  were  wide,  liberal,  benevo- 
lent and  patriotic.  During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  he  was 
the  efficient  chairman  of  the  committee  on  Home  Missions  in 
the  Presbytery  of  Chicago  and  the  Synod  of  Ilhnois.     In  this 


44^  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMliNARY. 

double  capacity  he  probably  accomplished  more  in  this  impor- 
tant branch  of  the  service  than  any  other  man  in  either  of  these 
bodies.  He  put  his  whole  heart  into  the  service,  and  whatever 
he  did  he  did  with  his  might.  It  was  his  custom  to  work 
through  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  and  during  the  thirty  years 
of  his  public  ministry  he  exerted  a  wide  and  powerful  influence 
throughout  the  Northwestern  churches,  as  well  as  in  Chicago 
and  its  immediate  surroundings.  His  deep  convictions  of 
evangelical  truth,  his  genial,  loving  spirit  towards  Christians  of 
other  denominations,  his  unfaltering  fidelity  to  every  call  of 
duty,  both  from  the  Church  and  the  country,  gave  him  a  strong 
hold  upon  the  public  wherever  he  was  known,  and  that  influ- 
ence was  extending  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

At  the  funeral  in  Evanston,  when  there  assembled  in  his 
church  a  large  concourse  of  ministers  and  members  of  several 
evangelical  bodies,  a  beautiful  and  impressive  discourse  was 
delivered  by  Dr.  R.  W.  Patterson.  The  moderator  of  the 
Chicago  Presbytery,  Rev.  M.  Woolsey  Stryker,  D.D.,  no  doubt 
voiced  on  that  occasion  what  all  his  fellow  members  had  in 
their  hearts,  when  he  said:  "Among  that  body  of  strong 
men,  none  was  stronger,  none  gentler,  none  more  winning  and 
none  more  wise  than  he  who  has  gone  from  his  painstaking 
and  manifold  labors  to  his  assured  reward.  In  all  matters 
of  action  or  of  deliberation,  his  personal  weight  of  judgment 
and  his  readiness  to  bear  full  part  have  been  constant  and  emi- 
nent. For  twenty  years  Dr.  Noyes  has  gone  on  his  steadfast 
way;  a  leader  in  counsels  and  activities  which  has  gone  into 
the  Christian  history  of  this  immediate  region  and  of  the  whole 
Northwest.  He  has  wrought  to  the  last  and  fallen  in  the  very 
traces.  With  his  own  great  trials,  it  was  still  his  joy  to  fulfill 
the  law  of  Christ  in  bearing  others'  burdens,  and  widely  he 
did  it." 

A  memorial  meeting  was  held  in  Chicago  by  his  brethren  of 
the  ministerial  association,  at  which  a  minute,  presented  by 
Dr.  Patterson,  was  adopted,  accompanied  by  many  loving 
and  appreciative  tributes  to  his  memory  by  the  members. 
"  Few  ministers  among  us,"  says  this  memorial,  "  have  been 
esteemed  and  loved  by  so  large  a  circle  of  friends  in  general 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  447 

society  and  among  Christian  people  beyond  his  own  church 
and  denomination.  As  a  man  of  general  learning,  a  patron 
of  art,  literature  and  science,  an  efificient  helper  in  the  cause 
of  education,  secular  and  religious,  an  active  supporter  of 
philanthropic  enterprises,  and  an  earnest  advocate  of  liberty 
and  equal  rights,  he  stood  among  the  foremost.  His  standard 
of  Christian  morality  was  the  highest  and  his  support  of  it 
conscientious  and  resolute.  He  was  genial,  companionable 
and  attractive  in  social  relations,  warm  and  steadfast  in  his 
friendships,  charitable  in  his  judgment  of  others,  even  when 
strongly  disapproving  their  opinions  or  position." 

During  the  session  of  1888- 1889,  it  was  made  very  apparent 
that  the  annual  income  of  the  Seminary,  owing  to  the  large 
increase  of  students  needing  scholarship  assistance,  as  well  as 
to  other  causes,  was  not  adequate  to  cover  the  necessary  cur- 
rent expense  from  year  to  year.  Frequent  meetings  for  con- 
ference and  consultation  on  this  important  matter  were  held 
during  the  year  by  the  professors,  trustees  and  such  directors 
as  resided  in  Chicago.  Various  plans  were  proposed  and  dis- 
cussed among  them  as  to  the  best  method  of  so  develop- 
ing and  improving  the  Seminary  property  as  to  secure  a  larger 
annual  income.  The  experience  of  the  preceding  few  years 
had  shown  the  wisdom  of  utilizing  the  ample  vacant  grounds 
belonging  to  the  Seminary  by  erecting  upon  them  addi- 
tional houses  for  rent.  But  the  money  needed  for  doing  this 
was  not  at  hand,  and  there  was  a  strong  prejudice  against  bor- 
rowing it  on  mortgage  felt  by  some  of  the  old  and  tried  friends 
of  the  institution.  In  this  state  of  things  the  problem  came 
before  the  Board  of  Directors  at  its  meeting  in  April,  1889, 
and  was  fully  discussed  in  all  its  relations  and  bearings.  In 
order  to  meet  the  difficulty  arising  from  the  lack  of  a  larger 
scholarship  fund  and  thus  help  the  students  needing  aid,  the 
Board  decided  to  appoint  a  special  financial  agent,  who  should 
visit  the  churches  and  raise  from  them  the  funds  necessary  to 
sustain  the  Seminary  in  this  vital  interest.  The  Rev.  James 
A.  Reed,  D.D.,  of  Springfield,  111.,  was  appointed  and  soon 
entered  upon  this  work.  ' 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  April,  1888,  the  Board  of  Direc- 


448  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

tors,  seeing  the  need  of  a  large  increase  in  the  income  of 
the  institution,  had  passed  a  resolution  authorizing  the  Board 
of  Trustees  to  borrow  money  to  the  extent  of  $500,000  by  mort- 
gaging the  Seminary  property  and  to  erect  on  the  ground  build- 
ings for  rent  as  fast  as  it  could  be  done  to  advantage.  This 
policy  however,  meeting  with  strong  opposition  from  some 
of  the  staunchest  friends  of  the  Seminary,  was  not  carried  out 
and  was  attempted  only  to  a  limited  extent.  When  the 
Board  met  again  in  April,  1889,  the  trustees  reported  the 
progress  they  had  made  in  negotiating  a  loan,  whereupon  the 
directors  adopted  the  following  action  : 

"The  report  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  shows  that  steps  are 
being  taken  to  borrow $100,000  at  five  percent.,  by  mortgaging 
five  acres  of  the  property,  between  FuUerton  and  Belden  ave- 
nues and  the  lines  of  Dayton  and  Fremont  streets  extended, 
the  loan  to  be  payable  on  or  before  the  expiration  of  five  years. 
We  recommend  the  approval  of  this  action  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  and  that  the  thanks  of  this  Board  be  expressed  to  Mr. 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick  for  his  generous  offer  to  pay  the  interest 
on  that  loan  for  the  first  two  years.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  Board  of  Trustees  have  arranged  for  a  loan  of  $100,000, 
the  committee  suggests  that  the  Board  of  Directors  do  not 
renew  at  this  time  the  former  recommendation  of  a  loan  of 
$500,000,  the  committee  being  of  the  opinion  that  $100,000  is 
as  much  as  could  be  prudently  obtained  and  expended  during 
the  present  year."* 

Thus  the  matter  stood  when  the  directors  adjourned. 
But  before  the  trustees  had  completed  their  negotiation  for 
this  loan  Mr.  McCormick  and  his  mother,  both  of  whom  had 
strong  objections  to  mortgaging  the  Seminary  property  for 
any  amount,  in  order  to  remove  all  difficulties  came  forward  in 
May  with  the  offer  of  $100,000  as  an  out  and  out  donation  to 
the  institution,  to  pay  for  the  proposed  buildings,  and  at  the 
same  time  with  the  further  donation  of  $30,000,  to  wipe  out 
all  past  arrearages  and  to  pay  the  deficit  of  the  current  year. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  admirably  done  than  this  and 
certainly  nothing  could  have  been  more  acceptable.     It  was  an 

♦Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  Vol.  2,  p.  560. 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  449 

unexpected  but  complete  solution  of  the  problem,  and  it  was 
a  great  relief  to  those  who  wished  to  see  the  institution  go 
forward  with  its  improvements  and  at  the  same  time  without 
the  encumbrance  of  a  heavy  mortgage.  Thus  far  in  all  the 
history  of  the  school  no  such  obligation  had  ever  been  incurred 
and  it  was  a  great  blessing  to  escape  it  now.  By  this  large  and 
timely  benefaction  the  liberal  donors,  who  had  so  often  here- 
tofore attested  their  good  will  toward  the  Seminary,  again  won 
the  lasting  admiration  and  gratitude  of  all  its  friends. 

Plans  for  fifteen  residence  houses  were  at  once  adopted  and 
contracts  made  and  by  the  end  of  the  month  the  work  upon 
them  was  in  progress.  It  was  understood  and  agreed  that  the 
new  buildings  should  be  arranged  on  the  Seminary  grounds 
according  to  the  plan  proposed  by  the  liberal  donors,  Mrs. 
McCormick  and  her  son,  and  should  be  finished  in  a  style  of 
eleeance  and  comfort  in  harmony  with  their  views.  The  site 
chosen  for  them  was  a  little  w^est  of  Ewing  Hall.  The  build- 
ings were  to  form  two  similar  rows  facing  each  other,  with  a 
broad  open  space  and  a  double  roadway  between  them,  form- 
ing to  the  view  a  pleasant  park,  with  grass,  shrubbery  and 
trees,  and  opening  out  to  the  west  on  a  macadamized  boule- 
vard. Through  the  summer  and  autumn  the  work  of  building 
was  pushed  forward  with  such  rapidity  that  by  the  end  of  the 
year  the  whole  improvement,  with  its  modern  residences,  its 
stone  sidewalks  and  its  spacious  lawn,  had  reached  such  com- 
pletion as  to  add  much  to  the  outward  adornment  of  the 
place  and  to  invite  the  occupancy  of  good  tenants.  The 
houses  were  all  soon  rented.  The  double  avenue  thus  opened 
was  at  once  designated  by  an  appropriate  Presbyterian  name, 
and  has  ever  since  been  called  Chalmers  Place. 

Fifteen  houses  were  at  first  erected,  leaving  an  open  space' 
unoccupied.  In  the  summer  of  the  following  year,  1890,  it 
was  determined  by  the  same  generous  friends  of  the  Seminary 
to  complete  the  original  plan  and  put  up  three  additional 
houses,  at  an  increased  expense"  of  twenty-three  thousand  dol- 
lars. Chalmers  Place  thus  completed,  consisting  of  two  rows 
of  nine  houses  each,  with  a  professor's  house  at  the  end  of  each 
row,  constitutes  a  very  desirable  and  attractive  feature  of  the 


450  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

whole  Seminary  landscape.  It  is  due  to  Mrs.  McCormick 
to  state  in  this  connection  that  the  fine  improvements  on 
Chalmers  Place  were  largely  attributable  to  her  own  judgment 
and  taste  as  well  as  liberality  in  the  matter.  She  not  only 
suggested  the  plan  by  which  the  new  group  of  handsome  resi- 
dences should  be  placed  on  an  open  court  or  park  in  the  center, 
but  gave  her  time  and  superintendence  in  frequent  visits  to  the 
grounds  while  they  were  in  process  of  erection.  At  the  meet- 
ings of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April  of  1890  and  1891  due 
recognition  of  these  splendid  gifts  was  made  in  formal  votes 
of  thanks  tendered  to  Mrs.  McCormick  and  her  son  as  repre- 
sentatives ofthe  McCormick  estate. 

In  contrast  with  the  beautiful  grounds  and  the  many 
spacious  and  comfortable  buildings  which  to-day  greet  the  eye 
of  a  visitor  to  the  Seminary,  it  may  be  of  some  interest  to  look 
back  to  the  time  when  the  original  structure,  now  named 
Ewing  Hall  in  honor  of  the  man  who  secured  the  money  with 
which  to  build  it,  stood  alone  and  solitary  on  the  broad 
common  of  its  treeless  and  grass-covered  site.  Not  much 
attraction  had  the  location  then  for  outside  visitors,  not  much 
for  students  except  what  was  created  within  the  building  by 
themselves  and  their  enthusiastic  teachers,  both  looking  for- 
ward to  coming  days  of  usefulness.  But  many  events  and 
.many  incidents  occurred  within  and  around  this  original  edifice 
in  those  early  days,  some  of  them  perhaps  trivial  and  ludicrous 
and  some  of  grave  importance,  which  it  is  now  profitable  to 
recall,  as  illustrating  the  character  of  the  times  and  as  reveal- 
ing some  of  the  experiences  of  life  through  which  those 
connected  with  the  institution  had  to  pass  while  it  was  attain- 
ing unto  its  present  favored  position. 

A  few  years  after  the  erection  of  Ewing  Hall  the  inmates 
were  one  day  greatly  startled  by  the  sudden  cry  of  '*  fire  "  from 
the  upper  stories.  Fortunately  it  was  at  midday  and  it  was 
soon  discovered  that  the  fire  had  originated  from  a  defective 
chimney  running  through  the  attic,  where  it  was  smouldering, 
and  from  which,  though  having  burnt  for  some  time,  it  had 
not  yet  broken  through  the  roof.  There  was  no  fire-engine  in 
that  part  of  the  city,  the  nearest  one  being  miles  away  down 


w 


c 

o 

o 

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n 
> 


1S8S-1890.        EWIN*G  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  45 1 

town,  but  the  building  had  been  provided  with  a  few  fire 
extinguishers.  Some  of  the  most  energetic  students,  Mr. 
Spining,  Mr.  Earhart  and  others,  seeing  the  danger  seized  the 
extinguishers,  climbed  with  the  help  of  ladders  into  the  smoke- 
filled  attic  and,  cutting  through  the  upper  floor  to  the  seat  of 
the  fire,  soon  subdued  the  flames  before  they  had  broken  out 
through  the  roqf.  Had  this  last  contingency  occurred,  or  had 
the  fire  originated  at  night,  there  would  have  been  no  proba- 
bihty  of  saving  the  tall  and  isolated  structure  from  total 
destruction.  No  greater  calamity  could  have  befallen  the 
institution  at  that  time.  The  executive  committee  recogniz- 
ing the  gracious  interposition  of  divine  providence  in  avert- 
ing such  a  disaster,  but  warned  by  the  narrow  escape, 
immediately  had  the  heating  arrangements  overhauled  and 
took  other  measures  to  protect  the  valuable  property  from  a 
similar  danger  in  the  future. 

Another  incident  occurred  not  long  after  that  just  men- 
tioned which  will  serve  to  show  how  ignorant  were  many  of 
the  people  living  at  that  time  not  far  from  the  Seminary  on  the 
northern  outskirts  of  the  city.  It  occurred  during  the  vacation 
when  most  of  the  students  were  absent  and  in  consequence  of 
some  of  the  neighboring  population  mistaking  the  tall  build- 
ing for  a  medical  college.  One  day  a  motley  crowd  of  people, 
men,  women  and  children,  with  a  policeman  at  their  head, 
were  seen  approaching  the  Seminary.  Only  a  few  students 
were  within.  One  of  them,  a  wide-awake  man,  suspecting 
what  was  on  hand,  went  down  to  the  front  door  to  ask  what 
was  wanted.  In  loud  and  angry  tones  he  was  told  that  they 
had  come  to  search  the  college,  as  a  child  had  been  stolen  and 
there  was  good  cause  to  think  it  was  hidden  away  in  the  build- 
ing by  the  doctors.  The  student  told  the  crowd  that  it  was  all 
a  mistake ;  that  there  was  no  child  there  and  there  were  no 
doctors,  but  preachers.  The  crowd  was  not  satisfied,  however, 
and  demanded  that  the  search  should  be  made,  that  they  might 
see  for  themselves.  The  student  at  once  produced  the  keys 
and  said  he  would  open  every  room  for  them.  Beginning  at 
the  top  floor,  the  whole  forty  rooms  of  all  the  stories  were 
thrown  open  and  inspected.    The  crowd  then  descended  to  the 


452  HISTORY  OF  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

basement  story,  which  was  occupied  by  the  cuhnary  depart- 
ment. After  showing  kitchen,  dining  hall,  closets  and  all 
other  possible  hiding  places  there,  the  student  in  charge  led 
the  crowd  to  a  large  cellar  room  which  was  used  for  storage 
purposes  and  remarked  to  them  with  a  serious  face,  "  Now  I 
have  shown  you  everything  here  but  this  store-room.  If  there 
is  anything  wrong  it  must  be  found  here."  With  this  he 
unlocked  the  door  and  invited  them  in.  After  a  thorough 
search,  they  went  away  disappointed,  but  well  pleased  with  the 
sincerity  and  fairness  of  their  guide  and  with  the  conviction 
that  there  was  no  lost  child  or  dreadful  medical  doctor  there. 
The  crowd  had  scarcely  reached  the  street  when  a  messenger 
arrived  in  haste  assuring  the  mother  who  had  gone  through  the 
search  that  her  lost  child  had  been  found  and  was  at  home 
safe  and  sound.  The  incident  in  itself  was  trivial  and 
laughable,  but,  as  times  were  then,  it  did  something  to 
establish  the  reputation  and  good  name  of.  the  Seminary 
among  the  people  round  about. 

Still  another  incident,  of  another  character,  should  here  be 
mentioned,  to  illustrate  the  good  will,  patience  and  confidence 
which  prevailed  in  the  institution  during  these  early  times.  It 
was  the  breaking  out  one  day  of  a  somewhat  startling  case  of 
contagious  disease  among  the  students.  Hitherto  the  institu- 
tion had  been  wonderfully  favored  in  the  good  health  of  all 
its  inmates.  There  had  for  years  been  scarcely  an  instance  of 
serious  sickness  among  them.  About  the  middle  of  the  term 
one  of  the  students,  who  for  a  week  had  been  freely  mingling 
with  his  fellow  students,  was  compelled  to  take  to  his  bed  with 
unmistakable  indications  of  serious  illness.  As  soon  as  a 
physician  was  called,  the  case  was  pronounced  one  of  varioloid, 
which  might  expose  all  the  other  inmates  of  the  Seminary. 
No  time  was  to  be  lost ;  all  the  persons  in  the  building  were  at 
once  called  together  and  vaccinated.  The  work  of  the  year 
was  at  its  height  and  the  number  of  students  in  attendance  was 
larger  than  usual.  The  professors  felt  that  it  would  be  a  very 
serious  damage  to  the  institution  to  suspend  the  course  of 
instruction  and  disband  the  students.  After  learning  from  the 
physician  in  charge  that  there  would  be  no  danger,  with  proper 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  453 

precautions,  in  going  on  with  the  work  of  instruction,  the 
faculty  called  the  students  together  and  laid  the  matter  fully 
before  them.  The  professors  expressed  it  as  their  own  belief 
and  as  the  opinion  of  the  physician  that  there  would  be  no  risk 
in  remaining  where  they  were  and  continuing  their  studies  as 
usual.  But  at  the  same  time  they  assured  the  young  men  of  their 
willingness  to  grant  any  of  them  leave  of  absence  to  return  to 
their  homes,  if,  under  the  circumstances,  they  preferred  to  do 
so.  The  students  at  once  held  a  conference  and  the  whole 
body  decided  to  remain.  The  sick  student  was  placed  in  a 
room  of  the  upper  story  where  he  was  entirely  isolated  from 
the  others.  A  kind  and  fearless  lady,  the  wife  of  the  agent, 
living  at  the  time  in  the  Seminary,  volunteered  to  attend 
on  him  at  his  room  daily  with  the  physician  and  convey  his 
meals  to  him  and  see  that  his  medicine  was  administered 
properly.  No  further  trouble  occurred.  Not  one  of  the 
students  felt  it  necessary  to  leave  the  institution.  The  profes- 
sors visited  the  building  every  day  and  the  whole  course  of 
studies  and  lectures  went  on  as  usual  to  the  end  of  the  session. 
The  invalid  student  under  skilful  treatment  and  kind  nursing 
was  in  due  time  restored  to  health  and  was  enabled  to  go  on 
with  his  studies.  What  threatened  at  the  first  to  be  a  serious 
interruption  and  af^iction,  turned  out  in  the  good  providence 
of  God  to  be  a  closer  bond  of  union  and  a  spiritual  blessing. 

Further  on  in  the  history  of  the  institution  occurred  another 
incident,  or  rather,  great  event  of  absorbing  interest,  which 
was  intimately  associated  w^ith  the  original  central  hall  of  our 
group  of  buildings.  It  was  the  memorable  great  fire  of  Octo- 
ber 8th  and  9th,  1871,  which  has  been  referred  to  in  a  preced- 
ing chapter.  Ewing  Hall  is  the  only  one  of  the  Seminary 
structures  which  was  in  existence  when  that  terrible  disaster 
swept  over  the  city  and  for  several  hours  seemed  to  be 
approaching  this  edifice  for  destruction.  It  was  with  almost 
hopeless  dismay  that  the  professors,  friends  and  such  students 
as  were  there  on  that  fatal  Monday  watched  the  approaching 
wave  of  fire  for  those  long  hours.  For  those  four  walls  con- 
tained what  professors,  directors  and  other  friends  had  long 
and  earnestly  prayed  for  and  labored  for,  and  w^hat  at  last  had 


454  HISTORY  OF  McCORMTCK  SEMINARY. 

been  realized  in  giving  the  Seminary  a  permanent  habitation 
and  a  home ;  and  if  they  fell  the  whole  work  of  the  past  would 
have  to  be  begun  anew.  After  all  the  discouragements  of  the 
past  it  was  not  easy  to  see  how  or  when  another  beginning 
could  be  made.  It  was  a  supreme  crisis  in  the  history,  a  severe 
ordeal  for  the  long  cherished  hopes  of  the  professors.  All  day 
they  watched  the  fire,  all  day  they  prayed  that  the  calamity 
might  be  averted,  all  day  they  hoped  almost  against  hope, 
that  deliverance  might  yet  come  ;  and  they  were  not  disap- 
pointed. But  it  was  not  until  late  at  night  that  they  saw  with 
deep  joy  and  gratitude  that  the  wind  had  changed,  the  threat- 
ening danger  had  passed  and  the  good  providence  of  God  had 
saved  the  institution. 

The  great  fire  had  passed,  but  another  and  different  ordeal 
yet  remained.  Two  circumstances  rendered  the  weeks  imme- 
diately following  the  fire  a  time  of  much  perplexity  and 
uncertainty  to  the  professors.  The  students  in  large  numbers 
had  arrived  to  begin  the  studies  of  the  session.  But  many  of 
the  rooms  in  Ewing  Hall  had  to  be  occupied  by  persons  whose 
dwellings  had  been  burned  and  who  here  found  refuge  until 
their  immediate  wants  could  be  supplied.  The  need  of  shelter 
and  provisions  was  so  urgent  that  no  lectures  or  studies  could 
be  carried  on.  Some  of  the  professors  in  fact  gave  themselves 
to  the  work  of  daily  distribution  of  food,  taking  their  places  on 
the  provision  wagons  as  they  went  through  the  streets,  that 
they  might  supply  the  needy  with  food  and  find  sleeping 
places  for  the  homeless  ones  until  the  distress  was  over.  In 
addition  to  the  crowding  of  the  Seminary  building  with 
refugees  from  the  fire,  another  unfavorable  circumstance  in 
the  way  of  resuming  the  course  of  study  was  that  the  impor- 
tant chair  of  Systematic  Theology  was  still  vacant  and  with 
no  prospect  of  filling  it  that  session.  The  professor  elected  to 
the  chair  had  failed  to  come  and  there  was  no  hope  of  his 
coming.  In  this  state  of  things  the  students  who  had  been 
waiting  for  the  regular  lectures  to  begin  grew  restless  and  dis- 
satisfied, and  began  to  talk  of  going  home  or  to  other  semi- 
naries;  in  fact,  a  few  had  already  gone.  The  three  professors 
on  the  ground,  Drs.   Elliott,  Blackburn  and  Halsey,  saw  that 


1888-1890.        EVVING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  455 

again  a  crisis  in  the  history  of  the  Seminary  had  come  and 
resolved  to  meet  it  as  best  they  could.  They  at  once  called 
the  students  together  and  stated  to  them  all  the  facts.  They 
told  them  that  they  had  agreed  to  divide  all  the  duties  of  the 
vacant  chair  of  Theology  among  themselves  and  would  thus 
carry  forward  the  whole  course  of  study  through  the  term. 
This  arrangement  satisfied  the  students  and  not  another  man 
left. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  incidents,  still  other' experiences 
may  be  mentioned  as  belonging  to  the  life  of  the  earlier  days 
at  the  Seminary.  On  the  principle  that  "straws  may  show 
how  the  wind  blows,"  this  account  of  the  old  Ewing  Hall  and 
its  surroundings  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  peculiar  difficulties 
and  hardships  which  the  first  professors  had  to  encounter  in 
making  their  way  to  it.  They  had  no  horse  cars  or  railroads  of 
any  kind  at  that  time  leading  to  it  from  any  quarter.  The 
professors  lived  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  Seminary, 
some  of  them  half  a  mile  or  a  mile  away.  In  the  winter  season 
of  those  early  years,  when  blizzards,  sleet  and  snow  storms 
far  more  than  now  seemed  to  be  the  usual  order  of  the  Chi- 
cago climate,  especially  on  the  open  prairies  lying  around  this 
north  end  of  the  city,  it  was  no  easy  thing  for  a  man  encum- 
bered with  note-books  ^nd  umbrella  to  get  to  the  lone  edifice. 
But  this  every  professor  in  order  to  reach  his  classes  had  to  do 
every  day  on  foot,  as  there  was  no  way  to  ride.  It  is  the 
experience  of  some  of  them,  still  well  remembered,  that  no 
where  else  in  the  world  had  they  ever  felt  the  wind  blow  with 
such  terrific  fierceness  as  it  did  in  those  winters  across  the 
prairies  around  this  building.  They  questioned  whether  it  could 
blow  any  harder  even  at  the  North  Pole.  An  umbrella  was  no 
protection,  for  sometimes  it  hoisted  sail  and  went  scudding 
away  before  the  storm.  Sometimes  the  professor  loaded  with 
books,  after  forcing  his  way  for  half  a  mile  over  ice  and 
snow  two  feet  deep,  made  out  at  last  to  reach  the  Seminary 
gate  and  then  from  sheer  fatigue  had  to  stop  and  rest  against 
the  fence  until  he  could  gain  breath  and  strength  enough  to 
climb  the  stairway  against  the  blast. 

Some  amusing  anecdotes  of  this  early  period  were  handed 


456  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

down  among  the  students  as  traditions,  illustrating  the  difficul- 
ties encountered  by  the  professors  in  making  their  visits  to  the 
Seminary.  There  were  no  houses  then  near  the  institution 
except  one  at  the  corner  of  Halsted  street  and  FuUerton 
avenue.  The  wind  had  full  sweep  over  all  approaches.  The 
large  open  space  in  front  of  the  Seminary  was  used  as  a  ball 
ground  by  the  students.  From  the  Seminary  gate  across  the 
open  space  to  Lincoln  avenue  and  on  beyond  to  Fullerton 
avenue  and  Orchard  street  a  narrow  plank  walk,  only  two 
boards  wide,  had  been  loosely  laid  down  to  accommodate  per- 
sons going  to  the  building.  Across  this  walk  the  wind  seemed 
to  rush  with  unusual  velocity,  and  the  story  was  current  that 
each  professor  in  turn,  at  sometime  when  passing  along  this 
way,  had  his  hat  snatched  away  so  suddenly  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  run  at  his  utmost  speed  in  order  to  recover  it,  and 
even  then  did  not  regain  the  article  without  jumping  on  it. 

In  April,  1890,  when  the  Board  of  Directors  cam^  together 
for  their  annual  meeting  in  Chicago,  Dr.  Skinner  tendered  his 
resignation  of  the  chair  of  Theology  in  the  following  letter  : 

"Chicago,  March  31st,  1890. 
To  the  Board   of  Directors    of   the    McCormick    Theological 
Seminary. 

Dear  Brethren :  I  herewith  present"  my  resignation  as  pro- 
fessor of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  in  the  institution 
under  your  care.  This  resignation  will  take  effect  when  my 
successor  has  been  secured.  For  three  years  past  I  have  been 
unable  to  do  the  work  of  the  chair  on  account  of  inadequate 
health.  The  nature  of  my  complaint  is  such  as  to  make  it 
very  doubtful  whether  I  could  accomplish  more  in  years  to 
come.  I  am  persuaded  that  the  entire  course  of  theology 
should  be  thoroughly  prosecuted  if  the  institution  is  to  main- 
tain its  place  and  power  in  the  Church. 

Grateful  beyond  language  for  the  opportunities  of  service 
and  usefulness  the  Board  has  offered  me  during  the  past  nine 
years  and  thankful  if  my  work  has  been  in  any  fair  measure 
approved  by  its  members  and  has  been  of  some  benefit  to  the 
Church,  I  respectfully  request  that  this  my  resignation  may  be 
accepted,  and  I  pray  that  such  an  appointment   may  be  made 


1888-1890.        EWING  HALL  AND  CHALMERS  PLACE.  457 

of  my  successor  as  God  will  own  and  bless  and   crown  with  a 
far  larger  benediction  than  has  been  granted  to  me. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

Thos.  H.  Skinner." 
The  resignation  thus  tendered  was  accepted  and  the  Board 
passed  the  following  appreciative  resolutions: 

"Whereas,  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner  has  resigned  the  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick  chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  in  this 
institution  ;  therefore 

''  Resolved,  That  we  express  to  Dr.  Skinner  our  high  appre- 
ciation of  the  valuable  services  rendered  by  him  in  the  able 
conduct  of  his  department  during  his  continuance  as  the 
professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology.  We  are  sin- 
cerely grateful  that  he  has  so  ably,  so  consistently  and  so 
uniformly  taught  the  imperishable  truth  of  God's  Word  and 
defended  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints.     Further 

''Resolved,  That  we  record  with  gratitude  the  deep  and 
abiding  interest  which  Dr.  Skinner  has  always  taken  in  the 
young  men  who  have  been  connected  with  the  Seminary, 
thus  awaking  in  them  not  only  a  strong  attachment  to 
himself  as  their  teacher,  but  to  the  institution  which  we 
represent. 

''  Resolved,  further,  that  we  record  our  cordial  and  appre- 
ciative recognition  of  the  most  valuable  service  which  Dr. 
Skinner  has  rendered  to  this  institution  in  material  directions, 
not  only  contributing  personally  to  its  funds,  especially  to  its 
scholarship  fund,  but  inspiring  by  his  enthusiasm  and  earnest 
appeals  others  to  aid  in  bringing  this  school  of  the  prophets  to 
its  present  hopeful  state  of  prosperity.  In  view  then,  of  these 
things,  we  wish  Dr.  Skinner  to  realize  that  he  retires  from  the 
laborious  duties  hitherto  performed  by  him  with  the  lasting 
gratitude  of  this  Board,  and  our  sincere  prayer  is  that  he  may 
be  long  spared  to  witness  the  increasing  usefulness  and  pros- 
perity of  this  Seminary." 

The  Board  of  Directors  then  erected  a  new  chair  of  instruc- 
tion in  the  Seminary  for  Dr.  Skinner,  to  be  called  the  chair  of 
Divinity,  limited  in  its  duties  to  lectures  upon  the  rule  of 
faith,  which  was  to  exist  only  during  Dr.  Skinner's  occupancy. 


4S8  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  1890 
a  new  department  of  instruction  in  the  Seminary  was  created, 
the  nature  of  which  is  set  forth  in  the  resolutions  establishing 
it,  which  were  as  follows: 

"  Resolved,  ist.  That  the  Board  hereby  establishes  a  depart- 
ment of  instruction  to  be  known  as  the  department  of  Bib- 
lical Philology,  in  which  special  attention  shall  be  paid  to  the 
elements  of  the  Hebrew  and  Greek  languages. 

"  Resolved,  2nd.  That  Rev.  A.  S.  Carrier  be  and  is  hereby 
appointed  to  this  department  as  instructor,  in  which  his  special 
duties  shall  be  determined  by  the  faculty. 

"  Resolved,  3rd.  The  Board  of  Trustees  are  requested  to 
make  arrangements  with  Rev.  A.  S.  Carrier  in  reference  to  his 
salary." 

The  attendance  of  students  during  the  session  of  1 889-1 890 
was  one  hundred  and  fifty-two,  an  increase  of  twenty-one  over 
that  of  the  preceding  year. 


REV.   ANDREW  C.   ZENOS,   D.  D. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

CHANGES  IN  FACULTY  AND  NEW  PROFESSORS. 

1891-1892. 


Continued  Growth  of  the  Seminary.  Large  Increase  of  Students. 
Measure  to  Increase  the  Teaching  Force.  Action  of  the  Directors.  Trans- 
fer of  Dr.  Craig  to  Chair  of  Theology.  Election  of  Dr.  Zenos  to  Chair  of 
History.  Need  of  Larger  Scholarship  Fund.  Efforts  to  meet  Deficiencies. 
Proposition  to  Raise  One  Hundred  Thousand  Dollars.  Liberal  Offer  of 
Dr.  Skinner.  Accepted  by  the  Board.  Source  of  Great  Encouragement. 
Followed  by  Other  Donations.  Appeal  to  the  Churches.  Inauguration  of 
Professors  Elected.  Resignation  of  Prof.  Curtis.  Election  of  Dr.  Bissell  to 
Chair  of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis.  Prof.  Carrier  Elected  to 
Chair  of  Hebrew  and  Cognate  Languages.  Prof.  Booth,  Instructor  in  Elocu- 
tion and  Voice  Culture.  Special  Course  of  Lectures  Each  Session.  Bed  in 
Presbyterian  Hospital.  Additions  to  Library.  Indebtedness  of  Seminary 
Paid  by  Mrs.  McCormick  and  her  Son.  Vote  of  Thanks  to  Them.  Library 
Building  to  be  Erected  by  Same  Generous  Friends.  Vote  of  Thanks  for  the 
Gift.  Death  of  Prominent  Officers  of  the  Seminary.  Decease  of  Hon.  R. 
B.  Mason,  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  Rev.  John  Crozier,  Dr.  Josiah  Milligan, 
Mr.  John  C.  Grier,  Dr.  Hervey  D.  Ganse,  Dr.  Samuel  Hodge.  Tributes, 
Memorials  and  Resolutions  of  Sympathy. 


For  several  years  the  current  of  life  and  study  in  the  Semi- 
nary had  been  flowing  on  in  its  usual  channels  with  little  change 
in  the  faculty,  but  with  a  large  and  steady  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  students  each  new  session.  During  the  session  of  1891 
the  roll  of  students  had  risen  to  one  hundred  and  seventy-three. 
In  every  respect  the  continued  growth  of  the  institution  was 
satisfactory.  But  with  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Skinner  from  the 
chair  of  Theology  and  his  transfer  to  a  new  department,  and 
with  the  prospect  of  greatly  augmented  classes  of  students 
during  the  coming  years,  it  became  necessary  that  the  Board 
of   Directors  should  take  immediate  measures  to  increase  the 

459 


460  HISTORY  OF  MCCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

force  for  the  work  of  instruction.  This  led  to  the  appointment 
of  a  committee  to  report  such  action  as  might  be  desira- 
ble in  order  to  fill  any  chair  in  the  Seminary  that  might  be 
vacant.  This  committee  found  upon  consultation  that  the 
chair  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  could  best  be  filled  by 
transferring  Dr.  Willis  G.  Craig  from  his  chair  of  Biblical  and 
Ecclesiastical  History  to  that  left  vacant  by  Dr.  Skinner,  and 
that  a  new  professor  would  have  to  be  secured  for  the  chair  of 
History.  These  conclusions  were  accordingly  reported  to  the 
Board  of  Directors,  and  that  body,  at  a  called  meeting  in 
December,  1890,  elected  Dr.  Craig  to  the  chair  of  Theology. 
Dr.  Craig  signified  his  acceptance  of  the  same  in  the  following 
letter  addressed  to  the  committee  of  the  Board: 

''Chicago,  Jan'y  26th,  1891. 
Rev.  Sam'l  J.  Niccolls,  D.D.,         )     Committee    of    Board    of 
Rev.  Simon  J.  McPherson,  D.D.,  >        Directors  of  McCormick 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Esq.,  )         Theological  Seminary. 

Dear  Brethren :  I  hereby  notify  you  of  my  willingness  to 
accept  the  chair  of  Theology  in  the  McCormick  Theological 
Seminary,  to  which  position  I  was  elected  by  the  Board  of 
Directors,  in  session  in  this  city  December  30th,  1890.  I  am 
very  sensible  of  the  honor  which  the  Board  has  done  me  in 
electing  me  to  this  important  chair.  You  will  pardon  me,  if 
I  say  that  I  have  reached  the  conclusion  to  accept  this  election 
with  much  hesitation,  in  view  of  the  knowledge  which  I  have 
of  my  own  limitations  considered  in  the  light  of  the  large 
demands  necessarily  made  by  the  very  character  of  the  depart- 
ment of  theological  instruction  now  under  consideration.  In 
view,  however,  of  all  the  circumstances,  and  in  concurrence 
with  the  advice  of  friends  in  whose  judgment  I  am  accus- 
tomed to  trust,  I  express  my  acceptance  of  the  post  offered 
me  by  the  Board,  subject,  of  course,  to  any  action  which  the 
General  Assembly  may  take,  at  its  next  annual  meeting,  in 
accordance  with  its  rightful  authority  over  such  matters.  With 
sentiments  of  great  esteem,  I  am  very  truly  yours, 

Willis  G.  Craig." 

At  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April, 
1 891,  the  action  of  the  committee  and  of  the  called  meeting  of 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  4^1 

the  Board  in  regard  to  the  chair  of  Theology  was  reported, 
and  Dr.  McPherson  further  reported  that  the  committee 
unanimously  nominated  as  professor  for  the  chair  of  Church 
History  Rev.  Andrew  C.  Zenos,  D.D.,  of  Hartford,  Conn. 
Thereupon  the  Board,  "  in  view  of  the  nomination  of  Prof.  A. 
C.  Zenos  for  the  professorship  of  Church  History  by  the  com- 
mittee, resolved  that  the  committee  on  nomination  for  the 
chair  of  Church  History  be  continued  and  authorized  to  signify 
to  Professor  Zenos  the  Board's  preference  and  desire  to  have 
him  the  professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History  in  this 
Seminary."  ^  At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
held  May  19,  1891,  Dr.  Zenos  was  duly  elected  to  the  chair  of 
History,  and  when  the  General  Assembly  met  at  Detroit  in 
May,  1 89 1,  the  election  of  both  Dr.  Craig  and  Dr.  Zenos  was 
confirmed. 

The  large  increase  of  students,  especially  of  those  needing 
assistance  from  the  Church,  for  several  years  previous  to  1 890, 
had  rendered  it  necessary  that  additional  efforts  should  be 
made  for  a  corresponding  increase  of  the  scholarship  fund. 
The  money  available  for  students  had  proved  inadequate  to 
meet  the  urgent  demands  from  year  to  year.  Accordingly  in 
1890  a  committee  on  scholarships  was  appointed  from  the 
directors  of  the  Seminary  to  co-operate  with  similar  com- 
mittees from  the  trustees  and  the  faculty.  The  object  of  this 
joint  committee  was  to  do  continuous  work  in  obtaining  funds 
for  the  scholarship  account.  The  following  year  this  commit- 
tee reported  that  as  the  result  of  their  deliberations  they 
believed  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  raise  at  least  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  in  addition  to  the  funds  already  on 
hand,  to  meet  the  immediate  demand  of  the  Seminary  for 
scholarship  purposes,  and  they  proposed  a  practical  plan  of 
action  by  which  this  large  amount  might  be  secured.  While 
this  matter  was  still  under  discussion.  Dr.  Skinner,  with  his 
accustomed  promptness  and  liberality,  came  forward  with  a 
proposition  addressed  to  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in  which  he 
said,  among  other  things: 

"  I   propose  to  donate  to  the  Trustees  of  the  McCormick 

*  Minutes  of  Board  of  Directors,  April  2,  189!. 


462  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  the  sum  of 
ten  thousand  dollars  on  the  following  conditions,  to-wit: 

•"That  the  income  of  my  proposed  donation  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  be  left  to  the  decision  of  the  faculty  of  the  Seminary  in 
its  distribution  as  scholarship  money. 

"  That  the  said  donation  of  ten  thousand  dollars  be 
expended  in  the  erection  of  two  houses  on  the  property  of 
McCormick  Theological  Seminary,  to  be  named,  one,  the 
Mary  D.  Skinner  scholarship  house,  and  the  other  the  Emily 
M.  McDivitt  scholarship  house,  the  said  houses  to  form  a  part 
of  the  scholarship  endowment  of  the  Seminary,  and  the 
income  to  be  used  only  in  the  support  of  students  attending 
said  Seminary. 

'*  That  an  earnest  effort  be  made  to  raise  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  (including  the  ten  thousand  dollar 
donation  by  me)  for  the  scholarship  fund  of  the  Seminary,  in 
addition  to  all  funds  of  a  similar  character  in  the  possession  of 
the  Seminary." 

This  liberal  offer  from  Dr.  Skinner  was  accepted  by  the 
trustees  and  was  a  source  of  great  encouragement.  It  gave 
fresh  impulse  to  the  work  of  raising  the  scholarship  fund  and 
was  soon  afterward  followed  by  pledges  of  $5,000  each  to  the 
same  object  by  Mrs.  Nettie  F.  McCormick  and  Mr.  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick.  Those  who  had  the  cause  in  hand  began  to  feel 
that  the  work  of  raising  this  large  amount  w^as  well  under  way 
when  their  appeal  was  thus  generously  responded  to  by  the 
friends  and  founders  of  the  Seminary.  They  felt  that  the 
appeal  to  the  churches  for  the  means  for  the  education  of  their 
own  sons  for  the  ministry  would  not  be  in  vain,  and  that  suffi- 
cient money  would  be  contributed  to  a  cause  so  just  and 
honorable  whenever  it  was  fully  understood.  This  subject 
was  ably  presented  in  the  report  of  the  committee  on  the 
scholarship  fund  when  they  said:  "In  all  efforts  towards 
raising  this  fund  the  fact  should  be  emphasized  that  this  is 
peculiarly  the  work  of  the  Church  at  large,  rather  than  the 
work  of  the  Seminary  as  organized  and  endowed.  The  Semi- 
nary is  equipped  and  endowed  for  the  education  of  the 
students,  and    its  general    endowment    funds   should    not   be 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  463 

trespassed  upon  for  their  individual  and  personal  support. 
That  this  assistance  to  students  is  wise  and  necessary  there  is 
no  doubt,  and 'it  has  been  so  decided  by  the  General  Assembly 
after  a  thorough  and  critical  investigation  of  the  whole 
question ;  .  but  it  should  be  done  with  funds  especially  pro- 
vided for  that  purpose  by  the  Church  at  large,  and  not  be  a 
tax  upon  and  an  embarrassment  to  the  Seminary  in  its  regular 
work,  as  has  been  the  case  with  the  McCormick  Seminary  for  a 
number  of  years  past." 

When  the  Board  of.  Directors  held  their  regular  spring 
meeting  in  April,  1892,  they  proceeded  to  inaugurate  the  two 
professors,  Drs.  Craig  and  Zenos,  who  had  been  elected  the 
year  before  and  had  been  assiduously  at  work  in  their  respec- 
tive chairs  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology  and  Biblical  and 
Ecclesiastical  History.  The  public  services  of  the  occasion  took 
place  in  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  on  the  evening  of  April 
6th,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  audience.  The  service  was  con- 
ducted by  J.  H.  Holliday,  Esq.,  president  of  the  Board,  assisted 
by  others.  Rev.  Dr.  Craig  delivered  an  inaugural  address  on 
the  subject  *'  Systematic  Theology  Viewed  in  its  Relations 
to  Kindred  Disciplines."  This  was  followed  by  the  address  of 
Prof.  Zenos  on  "  The  Cultivation  of  the  Historical  Sense  the 
Need  of  the  Church  in  the  Present  Crisis."  Both  addresses 
were  marked  by  vigorous  thought  and  sound  scholarship.  Mr. 
Holliday  delivered  the  charge  to  the  professors  required  by 
the  order  of  the  Board,  in  earnest  and  appropriate  words.  As 
showing  the  satisfactory  work  of  the  new  professors  in  their 
respective  departments,  an  extract  may  here  be  added  from 
the  report  of  the  committee  on  examinations  : 

''  More  than  usual  interest  attaches  to  the  departments  into 
which  new  professors  have  been  introduced,  and  the  Board  has 
reason  to  be  grateful  to  God  that  they  have  been  so  wisely 
guided  in  the  choice  of  men.  As  to  the  department  of  Theol- 
ogy there  was  no  uncertainty  in  the  anticipations  of  the  Board, 
on  account  of  their  previous  knowledge  of  the  present  incum- 
bent. We  take  pleasure  in  alluding  to  the  work  of  the 
chair  of  Church  History,  as  far  as  we  have  had  opportunity  to 
observe,  as  giving  good  ground  for  hope  of  a  realization  of  our 


464  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

high  anticipations  predicated  upon  excellent  learning  and  an 
adaptation  to  scientific  maintenance  of  the  chair." 

The  directors  at  this  meeting  also  took  measures  for  the 
filling  of  another  chair,  that  of  Old  Testament  Literature  and 
Exegesis,  which  had  been  made  vacant  by  the  resignation  of 
Rev.  Edward  L.  Curtis,  Ph.D.,  who  had  removed  to  another 
field  of  labor.  Prof.  Curtis  during  the  period  of  eleven  years 
in  which  he  gave  instruction  in  this  department  had  won  the 
high  regard  of  his  colleagues  in  the  faculty  and  of  the  students 
under  his  instruction  by  his  fine  scholarship  and  extended 
attainments  as  a  Hebrew  linguist.  To  the  chair  thus  left 
vacant,  Rev.  Edwin  Cone  Bissell,  D.D.,  of  Hartford  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  being  nominated  by  the  committee,  was 
unanimously  elected,  becoming  professor  of  Old  Testament 
Literature  and  Exegesis. 

Rev,  Augustus  S.  Carrier,  A.M.,  having  taught  for  several 
years  in  the  Seminary  as  instructor  in  Hebrew  and  profes- 
sor of  Biblical  Philology,  was  at  this  meeting  of  the  Board 
elected  to  the  chair  of  Hebrew  and  Cognate  Languages. 
On  the  subject  of  elocution,  vocal  culture  and  delivery  it 
may  be  proper  to  say  that  the  faculty  of  the  Seminary,  all 
through  its  history,  had  fully  appreciated  the  importance  of 
having  tlfe  students  properly  instructed  in  these  branches.  In 
addition  to  the  regular  course  given  by  the  professor  of  Homi- 
letics,  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology,  there  had  been 
from  an  early  period  a  succession  of  competent  teachers  in  this 
department,  who  were  engaged  to  give  such  training  as  the 
limited  time  of  the  students  would  allow.  For  several  years 
Prof.  Robert  L.  Cumnock,  an  accomplished  and  successful 
elocutionist,  was  thus  employed  in  the  institution.  At  other 
times  there  were  other  instructors  who  rendered  valuable  ser- 
vice. For  the  last  few  years  Prof.  Edward  M.  Booth,  A.M., 
has  filled  this  position  in  the  Seminary.  In  elocution  and 
voice  culture  he  has  instructed  the  students  of  the  senior  and 
middle  classes,  and  he  has  been  found  to  be  a  thorough  and 
efificient  teacher  in  all  that  relates  to  vocal  culture,  delivery  of 
sermons  and  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  It  is  a  thing  much 
to  be  desired,  if  it  could  be  so  arranged,  that  all  the  students  of 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  465 

the  Seminary,  in  each  of  the  classes,  should  enjoy  the  benefit 
of  this  practical  and  much  needed  training. 

In  addition  to  the  instruction  of  the  regular  professors,  the 
students,  for  many  years  past,  have  had  the  benefit  of  a  special 
course  of  lectures  delivered  by  prominent  men,  invited  by  the 
faculty  to  address  them,  on  scientific,  literary  and  practical 
subjects  connected  with  their  studies.  This  course  has  con- 
sisted of  about  three  lectures  each  winter.  These  have  been 
given  by  ministers  of  different  denominations  and  distinguished 
scholars,  some  of  them  coming  from  a  distance  to  render  this 
voluntary  service.  The  topics  discussed  have  presented  a  wide 
range  of  thought,  culture  and  suggestion,  and  the  lectures  have 
been  heard  with  great  interest  and  profit  by  the  students. 

In  the  spring  of  1892  the  Seminary  received  from  the  estate 
of  the  late  Daniel  A.  Jones  of  Chicago  the  gift  of  a  free  bed  in 
the  Presbyterian  Hospital  in  Chicago,  which  is  endowed  in  the 
sum  of  $5,000.  This  may  be  used  at  all  times  for  the  benefit 
of  such  persons  as  the  faculty  may  designate.  The  donation 
has  proved  to  be  a  valuable  one  and  has  met  a  felt  need. 
Already  it  has  been  used  to  accommodate  such  students  as 
have  been  seriously  ill  and  have  required  prolonged  nursing 
and  medical  attendance. 

In  the  librarian's  report  to  the  Board  in  1892  an  item  of 
special  interest  is  presented.  After  mentioning  the  donation 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  volumes  to  the  library,  he  says  : 
"  The  work  of  the  mission  band  of  the  Seminary  merits  special 
notice.  The  greater  part  of  these  volumes  were  contributed 
by  them  and  made  a  part  of  the  Seminary  library.  By  this 
means  a  collection  of  missionary  literature  of  great  value  has 
been  built  up.  The  care  of  the  missionary  alcove  has  been 
assumed  by  the  students  themselves  and  the  books  have  had 
an  extensive  circulation.  In  addition  to  this  the  librarian  also 
reports  that  the  Seminary  has  been  exceedingly  fortunate  in 
securing  a  set  of  Migne's  Patrologia,  an  edition  of  the  Church 
Fathers  in  several  hundred  volumes.  This  valuable  work  is 
now  on  the  shelves  of  the  Hbrary."  Recognizing  the  deficiency 
of  the  Hbrary  as  to  many  important  works  and  feeling  that  an 
effort  should  be  made  to  supply  this  want,   Mrs.  McCormick 


466  HISTORY  OP^  McCORMlCK  SEMINARY. 

and  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  donated  for  the  immediate  pur- 
chase of  new  books  the  sum  of  $i,ooo.  This  timely  gift  was 
made  during  the  session  of  1891-1892  and  increased  the  assur- 
ance that  the  institution  would  soon  be  provided  with  a  library 
adequate  to  its  growing  necessities. 

It  was  found  at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  in  1892  that  there 
was  an  indebtedness  of  $16,000  incurred  by  the  Seminary  in 
payment  of  scholarship  deficiency  and  for  other  necessary 
expenses.  With  their  abiding  kindness  and  generosity,  Mrs. 
McCormick  and  her  son  offered  to  donate  this  amount,  so  as  to 
leave  the  institution  entirely  free  of  debt.  In  view  of  this 
unexpected  and  most  generous  proposal  the  Board  adopted  the 
following  preamble  and  resolutions  : 

"Whereas,  Mrs.  Nettie  F.  McCormick  and  Mr.  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  generously  offer  to  relieve  this  Seminary  from  an 
indebtedness  of  about  the  sum  of  sixteen  thousand  dollars, 
which  might  otherwise  be  a  matter  of  embarrassment ;  there- 
fore it  is 

"  Resolved,  1.  That  in  accepting  the  kind  offer  made  by 
these  friends  the  thanks  of  the  Board  of  Directors  be  and  they 
are  cordially  returned  to  them,  with  an  expression  of  hope  for 
the  welfare  of  the  donors  and  for  the  faithful  administration  of 
the  affairs  of  the  Seminary  in  accordance  with  the  cherished 
desires  of  those  who  have  so  greatly  befriended  it  and  to  the 
honor  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church. 

'*  2.  That  the  secretary  be  requested  to  transmit  a  copy  of 
the  preceding  preamble  and  resolution  to  Mr.  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick and  Mrs.  Nettie  F.  McCormick." 

At  this  time  Mr.  C.  H.  McCormick  also  made  known  to  the 
directors  the  intention  of  his  mother  to  place  on  the  Seminary 
grounds  a  new  and  fully  equipped  library  building.  Upon  the 
reception  of  this  gratifying  news  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  express  the  thanks  and  appreciation  of  the  Board,  which  they 
did  in  the  following  terms  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  of  McCormick 
Seminary,  in  gratefully  accepting  the  generous  offer  of  Mrs. 
Nettie  F.  McCormick  and  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  to  erect  a 
library  building  for  this  Seminary,  recognizes  in  this  offer  a 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  467 

noble  addition  to  the  long  line  of  munificent  gifts  begun  by 
Cyrus  H.  McCormick  of  blessed  memory  and  so  liberally  main- 
tained by  his  family,  constituting  in  the  whole  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  monuments  of  wise  and  enduring  beneficences  of 
our  age. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Board  recognizes  in  this  timely  gift 
not  only  a  large  generosity,  but  a  watchful  and  judicious  study 
on  the  part  of  the  benefactors  of  the  pressing  and  progressive 
needs  of  this  Seminary,  which  rare  consideration  is  as  highly 
appreciated  by  this  Board  as  the  gift  itself. 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  lay 
plans  and  devise  means  to  enlist  the  friends  of  the  Seminary 
throughout  the  Church  to  fill  the  new  building  with  a  library 
worthy  of  the  finely  equipped  Seminary,  the  Board  gives 
assurance  to  Mrs.  McCormick  and  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  of  its 
highest  endeavor  to  utilize  this,  their  latest  and  not  least 
worthy  gift  to  this  Seminary." 

No  proposed  gift  could  have  been  more  timely  and  accepta- 
ble than  that  of  a  library  building.  The  Seminary  from  the 
first  has  had  a  good  working  library,  but  it  has  never  been 
fully  up  to  the  requirements  of  the  institution,  which  have 
been  continually  growing.  The  large  increase  of  students 
during  the  last  few  years  and  the  wider  needs  incident  thereto 
have  called  very  strongly  for  more  room  and  a  better  equip- 
ment in  the  library,  that  professors  and  students  may  there 
find  not  only  the  learning  of  the  past,  but  also  the  growing 
literature  of  the  present  age.  The  new  building  will  furnish  all 
the  room  that  could  be  desired,  and  therein  it  is  proposed  to 
place  all  the  best  works  in  every  department  of  learning,  with 
all  the  appliances  and  facilities  for  study.  A  beautiful  edifice 
on  the  campus,  thus  equipped,  will  mark  the  advance  which 
the  institution  has  made,  and  will  stand  as  a  monument  to  the 
wisdom  and  liberality  of  its  projectors. 

The  close  of  the  year  1891  and  the  opening  of  1892  were 
marked  by  the  decease  of  an  unusual  number  of  useful  and 
distinguished  men  who  had  long  been  connected  with  the 
administration  of  the  Seminary  and  who  were  called  from 
their  earthly  labors  about  the  same  time.     These  were  Rev. 


468  HISTORY  OF  McCORM'ICK  SEMINARY. 

John  Crozier,  Rev.  Josiah  Milligan,  D.D.,  and  Hon.  Roswell 
B.  Mason,  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors  ;  Rev.  Thomas 
H.  Skinner,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  a  member  of  the  faculty;  and 
Rev.  Samuel  Hodge,  D.D.,  Rev.  Hervey  D.  Ganse,  D.D.,  and 
John  C.  Grier,  Esq.,  who  were  all  honorary  members  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Some  account  of  the  lives  of  those  of 
these  brethren  who  were  in  active  connection  with  the  Semi- 
nary at  the  time  of  their  death  is  most  appropriate  in  this  his- 
tory of  the  institution  they  served  so  well. 

Rev.  John  Crozier  was  for  nearly  twenty-six  years  an  active 
and  efficient  member  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  He  always 
felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Seminary  and  was 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  its  history  from  the  beginning. 
Though  living  at  a  distance,  he  scarcely  ever  failed  to  attend 
the  annual  or  called  meetings  of  the  Board.  When  present 
he  gave  to  the  proceedings  his  earnest  and  hearty  attention. 
His  extended  acquaintance  with  the  ministers  and  churches 
through  all  the  Northwestern  States  enabled  him  to  render 
good  service  by  his  wise  and  judicious  counsels.  In  preparing 
this  history  of  the  Seminary  the  writer  gained  much  valuable 
information  from  him  in  relation  to  its  origin  and  growth  at 
Hanover  and  New  Albany,  Ind. 

Mr.  Crozier  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  having  been  born  in  Man- 
chester on  August  27,  1822.  On  both  sides  of  the  family  he 
was  of  Scotch-Irish  Covenanter  stock,  and  his  faithful  life  and 
unblemished  character  proved  him  a  worthy  son  of  such  noble 
parentage.  He  made  a  profession  of  religion  in  1842.  In  1848 
he  was  graduated  with  honor  from  Miami  University  and  in 
185 1  from  the  Theological  Seminary  at  New  Albany.  Imme- 
diately after  graduation  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Palestine,  Illinois.  With  true  missionary  zeal 
Mr.  Crozier  turned  from  the  stronger  churches  of  the  middle 
West  and  took  charge  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Iowa 
City,  Iowa,  then  at  the  frontier.  Having  been  appointed 
financial  agent  of  the  synods  north  of  the  Ohio  river  by  the 
Board  of  Domestic  Missions,  he  traveled  for  nearly  two  years 
over  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois  in  the  interest  of 
the    home   mission    work.     At    the  close    of     this  successful 


REV.   AUGUSTUS  S    CARRIER,   A   M. 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  469 

agency  he  declined  overtures  from  a  wealthy  church  in  Ohio  to 
become  its  pastor  and  went  to  Olney,  Illinois,  there  to  build 
up  a  strong  church,  not  on  another  man's  foundation.  After 
nine  years  of  successful  labor  Mr.  Crozier  left  there  a  flourish- 
ing congregation.  During  these  years  he  organized  alone,  or 
with  the  help  of  others,  eleven  different  churches.  In  1867  he 
accepted  a  call  to  a  church  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  desiring  to  secure 
for  his  family  the  higher  educational  advantages  there  offered. 
After  leaving  Oxford  he  became  pastor  in  succession  of  several 
churches  in  the  states  of  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  in  all  of 
which  his  ministry  was  greatly  blessed  of  God. 

The  pastor  of  his  early  days  describes  his  ministry  in  the 
following  terms :  ''His  most  noted  characteristic  was  thor- 
oughness in  all  that  he  undertook,  and  this  made  his  pastoral 
work  a  power  for  good.  His  preparation  for  the  ministry  was 
not  commenced  until  after  he  had  attained  his  majority,  but  he 
nevertheless  took  the  whole  prescribed  course  extending  over 
eight  or  nine  years.  At  the  time  his  young  associates  were 
preferring  a  shorter  route  to  the  goal  of  their  wishes,  he 
declined  to  diminish  aught  from  the  long  term  of  study  and 
devoted  himself  most  assiduously  to  the  attainment  of  all  that 
could  assist  him  in  his  chosen  profession.  He  then  entered  the 
ministry  fully  equipped  as  far  as  human  helps  could  aid  him. 
He  continued  to  the  end  a  laborious  and  indefatigable  student 
and  presented  to  his  audiences  no  crude,  uncertain  announce- 
ments. In  his  theological  convictions  he  was  steadfast  and 
immovable,  his  foundation  being  the  unchangeable  rock  of 
Scripture.  The  power  that  attended  his  ministrations  was  the 
power  of  unembellished  truth.  His  charges  were  not  only  well 
indoctrinated  in  the  fundamental  truths,  but  were  soon  brought 
to  contribute  generously  to  all  the  boards  of  the  Church.  His 
last  public  effort  was  an  affecting  appeal  in  behalf  of  foreign 
missions.  His  interest  in  this  work  had  risen  to  a  perfect 
enthusiasm.  Indeed  his  last  Sabbath  of  ministerial  service 
breathed  through  all  the  exercises  of  the  day  an  elevation  of 
holy  feeling  calculated  to  suggest  to  his  family  almost  a  pre- 
sentiment of  the  coming  end.  His  fatal  illness  seized  him 
immediately  on  the  termination  of  the  duties  of  the  day." 


4/0  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 


Mr.  Crozicr  belonged  to  that  class  of  hardworking,  inde- 
fatigable, sterling  men  who  are  ever  ready  for  duty  and 
shrink  from  no  hardship  or  difficulty  in  its  discharge.  From 
his  earliest  years  in  the  ministry  he  seems  to  have  felt  a  special 
interest  in  those  parts  of  our  country  which  constituted  the 
newer  and  border  states.  The  numerous  missionary  and  pas- 
toral charges  he  held  at  different  times  were  in  this  region  and 
on  each  of  them  he  left  a  lasting  impression  for  good.  Speaking 
of  his  wide  influence,  one  who  knew  him  well  gives  this  testi- 
mony : 

"  Mr.  Crozier  was  an  invaluable  presbyter  in  the  ecclesias- 
tical bodies  with  which  he  was  connected.  As  he  was  unwaver- 
ing in  his  adherence  to  the  truth  and  never  affected  by  the  fear 
or  favor  of  man  when  duty  directed,  so  he  was  a  rigid  disciplin- 
arian and  discharged  his  duties  as  presbyter  with  a  firmness 
and  impartiality  that  secured  the  fullest  confidence  of  his 
associates.  Important  truths  were  safe  in  his  hands,  and 
the  standard  of  discipline,  as  well  as  of  orthodoxy,  was  ever 
maintained  by  him.  Such  men  are  the  wheel-horses  of  the 
moving  chariot  of  salvation,  and  such  are  the  men  who  have 
made  the  Presbyterian  Church  what  it  is  and  who  sustain  it  in 
its  high  elevation." 

Mr.  Crozier  married  early  in  life  Miss  Harriet  Williamson 
of  New  Albany,  Indiana.  His  last  pastoral  charge  was  at 
Remington,  Indiana,  where  he  died  December  24,  1891.  His 
wife  and  five  children,  four  sons  and  a  married  daughter, 
survive  him.  His  remains  were  interred  at  Paris,  Ohio,  the 
center  from  which  a  large  circle  of  relatives  have  spread,  and 
where  his  early  life  was  passed.  Here  they  rest  amid  the 
tombs  of  his  kindred. 

For  the  following  narrative  of  the  facts  in  Colonel^Mason's- 
life  the  writer  is  indebted  to  a  sketch  published  shortly  after 
his  death  in  one  of  the  Chicago  daily  papers.  Hon.  Roswell 
B.  Mason,  who  for  many  years  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Directors' of  the  Seminary,  and  several  times  its  pre- 
siding officer,  died  at  his  residence  in  Chicago,  January  r,  1892. 
He  had  reached  the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  and  retained 
his  vigorous   health   and   cheerful    spirits    until    within  a    few 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  471 

weeks  of  his  death,  which  was  caused  by  congestion  of  the 
brain.  As  mayor  of  Chicago  during  the  ever  memorable  year 
of  1 87 1,  when  the  greatest  fire  of  modern  times  almost  swept 
the  city  out  of  existence,  he  achieved  a  distinction  that  made 
him  known  throughout  the  civilized  world.  He  had  been  elected 
Nov.  2,  1869,  and  served  until  Nov.  7,  1871.  A  man  of  great 
force  of  character,  he  rose  to  the  occasion,  and,  by  his  active, 
unswerving  sense  of  duty,  the  city  was  safely  piloted  through 
the  terrible  days  that  followed  the  calamity.  Standing  not  on 
ceremony  he  appealed  to  the  nations  to  aid  his  suffering  fellow- 
citizens,  and  from  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  civilized  world 
came  an  answering  response.  Money  and  necessaries  were 
showered  into  his  treasure-houses,  and,  with  the  care  of  his  citi- 
zens uppermost  in  mind,  he  turned  the  supplies  over  to  the 
Relief  and  Aid  Society  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office. 
To  save  what  property  was  left  in  the  city  when  the  flames  had 
died  out,  from  pillage  at  the  hands  of  criminals  that  gathered 
at  Chicago,  he  invoked  the  aid  of  the  federal  government 
and  Gen.  Sheridan  placed  the  city  under  martial  law.  Elected 
to  office  by  the  voice  of  the  people  without  regard  to  politics, 
he  never  forgot  that  he  had  received  this  unanimous  support. 
All  his  actions  were  governed  by  an  impartiality  and  fearless- 
ness having  for  its  object  the  public  good. 

Rosvvell  B.  Mason  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Hartford, 
Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  19,  1805.  His  earliest  ancestor  in 
this  country  was  one  of  Oliver  Cromwell's  dragoons,  a  member 
of  the  famous  "  Ironsides  "  troop  of  horse,  who  emigrated  to 
Massachusetts  about  1649.  His  grandfather  was  a  soldier  of 
the  revolution  who  foijght  for  freedom  at  Bunker  Hill,  Ben- 
nington and  Saratoga.  His  father  was  a  captain  in  a  New  York 
regiment  in  the  war  of  18 12  and  was  by  occupation  a  farmer, 
merchant  and  contractor  upon  public  works.  The  son  in  boy- 
hood attended  a  common  district  school,  principally  in  the 
winter,  afid  worked  on  his  father's  farm  during  the  school 
vacations.  He  also  had  two  years'  schooling  at  an  academy  in 
New  Hartford.  In  the  spring  of  1822,  having  worked  in  con- 
nection with  his  father  for  some  time,  he  went  into  the  engi- 
neering  department    of  the    Erie  canal,  finding   time    during 


4/2  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEiMINARY. 

the  next  two  winters  to  attend  a  school   at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and 
giving  attention  particularly  to  engineering  studies. 

In  the  spring  of  1842  he  was  employed  on  the  Schuylkill 
canal  in  Pennsylvania.  From  this  time  on  he  was  actively 
engaged  in  the  survey  and  construction  of  important  canals 
and  lines  of  railroads  in  the  Eastern  states  until  1851,  when  he 
was  appointed  chief  engineer  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  in 
Illinois.  Owing  to  his  great  engineering  skill  and  his  energetic 
prosecution  of  the  enterprise,  the  entire  line  of  seven  hundred 
miles  was  completed  in  less  than  four  years.  For  the  next 
fifteen  years  he  held  prominent  offices  in  connection  with  rail- 
roads and  other  public  works,  until  shortly  before  the  Chicago 
fire,  when  he  retired  from  active  business.  In  1831  he  married 
Miss  Harriet  Lavinia  Hopkins,  and  their  wedded  life  continued 
until  her  death  March  29,  1891.  Seven  children  survive  him, 
three  daughters  and  four  sons.  He  retained  his  faculties  and 
interest  in  public  affairs  until  the  last.  After  the  age  of  sev- 
enty years  he  made  a  trip  to  Europe  and  another  to  California, 
and  in  1881  celebrated  with  his  wife  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
their  marriage,  in  the  presence  of  children  and  grand-children. 

The  Board  of  Trustees,  at  a  meeting  held  January  28th, 
1892,  adopted  the  following  resolutions  in  regard  to  Col. 
Mason's  death : 

**  Whereas,  It  has  pleased  God  to  call  to  a  higher  sphere  of 
usefulness  our  beloved  friend,  the  Hon.  Roswell  B.  Mason, 
whose  fellowship  it  has  been  our  privilege  to  enjoy  for  so  many 
years  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  McCormick  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  ;  therefore  be  it 

''  Resolved,  That  we  have  ever  found  in  him  a  noble  example 
of  the  highest  Christian  character,  a  safe  and  sagacious  adviser 
and  a  faithful  advocate  of  the  best  interests  of  the  Seminary. 
His  simplicity  of  manner,  his  purity  of  heart  and  his  tender- 
ness of  disposition  endeared  him  to  us,  while  his  wise  counsel 
and  high  aims  taught  us  to  rely  upon  him  as  an  honored 
leader.  With  a  deep  sense  of  our  great  loss  and  an  affection- 
ate remembrance  of  our  revered  friend,  these  resolutions  are 
ordered  spread  upon  our  record  and  a  copy  transmitted  to  his 
bereaved  family,  to  whom  we  tender  our  heartfelt  sympathy.'* 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  473 

Rev.  Josiah  Milligan,  D.D.,  departed  this  life  December 
27,  1891,  at  David  City,  Nebraska,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one. 
He  was  born  in  West  Virginia,  near  Wheeling.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary.  His  first  regular  pastorate  was  at 
Rushville,  Ohio.  In  1857  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Presbyte- 
rian church  of  Princeton,  111.,  and  continued  its  pastor  for  six- 
teen years.  In  his  early  life  Dr.  Milligan  was  engaged  in  the 
home  missionary  field,  superintending  the  work  in  Texas  and 
preaching  elsewhere  on  the  frontier.  In  this  pioneer  labor  he 
diplayed  the  qualities  that  characterized  him  throughout  his 
long  and  useful  life  as  a  minister  of  Christ  Jesus.  He  was 
thorough  in  his  preparation  for  the  pulpit  and  was  instructive 
and  faithful  in  all  his  pastoral  ministrations.  He  was  unswerv- 
ing in  his  attachment  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  and  had  no  sympathy  with  those  who  wished  to 
change  or  amend  its  standards. 

His  interest  in  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  ministry 
early  brought  him  into  work  and  sympathy  for  this  Seminary, 
of  which  he  served  as  a  director  for  more  than  twenty-three 
years.  He  was  also  for  a  time  its  agent  and  representa- 
tive before  the  churches  and  thus  became  well  known  through- 
out the  Northwest.  He  was  scarcely  ever  absent  from  a 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  was  always  willing  to 
perform  any  service  that  would  promote  the  interests  of  the 
institution  to  which  he  was  so  devotedly  attached.  He  was 
for  a  short  time  agent  of  the  Seminary  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  new  seminary  at  Omaha, 
Nebraska. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Skinner,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  professor  of 
Divinity  in  McCormick  Theological  Seminary,  died  at  his  resi- 
dence on  the  Seminary  grounds  January  4,  1892.  After  his 
resignation  of  the  chair  of  Theology  to  enter  upon  the 
lighter  duties  of  the  professorship  of  Divinity,  Dr.  Skinner's 
health  had  been  somewhat  uncertain.  On  the  21st  of  Decem- 
ber he  was  attacked  with  serious  illness,  and  gradually  grew 
worse  until  the  end  came.  The  funeral  was  held  at  the  Church 
of  the   Covenant,  January  6,  at  2:30  P.  M..     The  remains  were 


474  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

taken  to  Springfield,  Mass.,  for  interment.  Tlic  professors  of 
the  Seminary  were  honorary  pall-bearers,  while  the  acting  ones 
were  students  who  had  been  members  of  Dr.  Skinner's  classes. 

Dr.  Skinner  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  October  6,  1820. 
His  father,  for  whom  he  was  named,  was  at  that  time  a  promi- 
nent pastor  in  Philadelphia  and  one  of  the  most  eloquent 
preachers  in  the  Church.  Dr.  Skinner  was  educated  partly  at 
Yale  and  partly  at  the  University  of  New  York,  being  graduated 
at  the  latter  place.  His  theological  studies  were  pursued  at 
Andover  and  Union  seminaries,  in  both  of  which  his  father 
was  a  professor.  During  his  early  ministry  Dr.  Skinner  was 
intimately  associated,  through  his  father,  with  the  most  promi- 
nent clergymen  of  the  New  School  Presbyterian  Church  and 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  His  theological  views  changed 
about  eight  or  ten  years  after  his  ordination.  He  accepted  the 
higher  or  Old  School  Calvinism.  Always  an  enthusiastic  man, 
he  accepted  it  heartily  and  threw  himself  with  ardor  into  the 
work  of  its  exposition  and  defense.  He  was  a  great  admirer, 
and  it  is  accurate  to  say  a  disciple,  of  the  great  Puritan  theo- 
logians of  the  seventeenth  century.  Of  these  he  valued  more 
highly  than  any  other  the  great  Puritan  schoolman  John 
Owen.  On  entering  the  ministry  he  became  a  pastor  in  New 
York  City,  and  successively  in  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  on  Staten 
Island,  in  Honesdale,  Pa.,  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  and  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio.  The  latter  place  he  left  in  1881  to  become  profes- 
sor of  Systematic  Theology  in  McCormick  Seminary.  During 
his  first  year  he  added  to  the  duties  of  his  professorship  those 
of  the  chair  of  Church  History. 

Dr.  Skinner  is  described  by  one  who  knew  him  intimately 
in  the  following  terms:  "Though  a  man  of  pronounced  views 
he  was  as  far  removed  as  possible  from  a  theological  recluse. 
Theology  was  his  profession,  but  it  did  not  exhaust  his  interest. 
He  was  a  lover  and  an  extended  reader  of  books.  He  liked 
the  English  reviews  and  he  read  them  all.  He  liked  poetry. 
He  had  an  ear  and  sense  of  beauty  that  was  charmed  by  the 
delicate  grace  of  Shelley,  whom  he  loved  to  quote.  He  liked 
novels  and  would  grow  enthusiastic  in  talking  about  Thackeray 
and  the  elder   Dumas.     He  was  universally   companionable  ; 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  475 

he  knew  all  his  neighbors,  was  helpful,  sympathetic  and 
friendly.  Acts  of  kindness  that  would  require  self-sacrifice  on 
the  part  of  most  men,  seemed  in  him  to  be  spontaneous.  He 
was  the  most  approachable  of  men,  and  among  the  most  gen- 
erous." 

The  faculty  of  the  Seminary  in  their  minutes  have  the  fol- 
lowing warm  tribute  to  his  memory  : 

"As 'a  theologian  Dr.  Skinner,  endowed  by  nature  with 
commanding  talents,  was  a  man  of  wide,  accurate  and  special 
theological  culture.  Not  many  men  occupying  similar  posi- 
tions have  enjoyed  a  more  thorough  acquaintance  with  dog- 
matic and  symbolical  literature.  His  conclusions  on  great 
theological  subjects  were  profound  convictions  and  they  were 
always  the  result  of  large  and  long  and  candid  study.  As  a 
teacher  he  was  able,  learned,  clear,  scriptural,  reverent  and 
enthusiastic,  having  in  view  most  of  all  the  systematic  exposi- 
tion and  defence  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  as  the  word  of  God 
and  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  In  the  plen- 
ary inspiration  and  supreme  authority  of  these  Scriptures  he 
implicitly  believed.  Trusting  himself  for  time  and  eternity  to 
the  declaration  of  the  Holy  Bible  as  God's  Word  written,  it  was 
his  single  aim  to  send  forth  from  his  lecture  room  men  who, 
as   ministers  of  the  gospel,  would  be  mighty  in  the  Scriptures. 

"  He  was  not  only  highly  respected,  but  also  profoundly 
beloved  by  all  the  students  who  gathered  around  him.  His 
loss  will  be  keenly  felt  by  that  great  array  of  men  whose  theo- 
logical opinions  he  so  largely  formed.  The  influence  of  his 
teachings  is  now  exerted  in  the  preaching  of  his  students  far 
and  wide  throughout  the  world,  and  will  continue  unabated 
in  the  memory  and  in  the  ministry  of  those  who  sat  at  his  feet 
in  this  Seminar}-.  As  a  man  and  a  Christian  he  was  an  epistle 
of  Christ  Jesus  known  and  read  of  all  men.  He  witnessed  a 
good  confession,  not  in  word  only,  but  also  in  deed.  His  life 
in  this  community  was  marked  by  Christian  faith,  purity,  integ- 
rity, brotherly  kindness  and  charity.  All  who  knew  him  loved 
him,  and  even  the  humblest  and  youngest  recognized  the 
nobility  of  his  lofty  life  and  felt  the  warmth  of  his  loving 
heart. 


476  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

"  As  a  member  of  this  faculty  for  many  years,  his  death 
breaks  a  circle  which  has  been  singularly  complete  and  har- 
monious. Coming  when  the  Seminary  was  small  and  the  out- 
look discouraging,  he  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into  the 
task  of  building  it  up.  He  met  each  difficulty  which  arose 
with  singular  courage,  buoyancy  and  consecration,  and  inspired 
others  with  a  confidence  equal  to  his  own.  His  was  a  faith  that 
obstacles  could  not  subdue  and  with  prophetic  foresight  he 
appreciated  all  the  advantages  which  such  a  city  as  Chicago 
offered  for  the  future  of  theological  education.  But  above  and 
beyond  the  elements  of  mere  material  progress  he  discerned 
the  strategic  value  of  this  as  a  center  of  sound  doctrine.  It 
was  his  heart's  desire  and  prayer  to  God  that  this  Seminary 
should  influence  the  wide  domain  of  our  Central  and  Western 
States,  and  that  it  should  prove  the  source  of  light  and  of 
Christian  learning,  the  bulwark  of  all  that  was  true  and  evan- 
gelical, throughout  an  ever  widening  territory ;  and  he  had  the 
rare  joy  of  seeing  his  efforts  and  aspirations  for  this  Seminary, 
which  he  loved  as  his  own  child,  crowned  in  a  very  large  meas- 
ure with  success.  There  is  not  one  of  us  who  has  not  felt  the 
strength  of  his  influence  and  the  value  of  his  affectionate  coun- 
sel. His  life  and  its  memory  are  indissolubly  bound  up  with 
the  life  and  growth  of  this  Seminary." 

The  exceedingly  valuable  services  rendered  the  Seminary  by 
Dr.  Skinner  have  fully  appeared  in  the  preceding  pages  of 
this  history.  Next  to  his  varied  and  faithful  services  in  build- 
ing up  this  institution,  must  be  mentioned  his  strong  attach- 
ment and  large  liberality  to  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  of 
which  he  and  his  family  were  members,  and  where  he  was  a 
constant  attendant  until  his  death.  When  this  congregation 
was  organized  he  saw  that  it  needed  a  spacious  auditorium, 
not  only  to  furnish  the  students  and  professors  a  suitable  place 
of  worship,  but  also  to  provide  an  adequate  audience  room  for 
the  annual  public  meetings  of  the  institution.  He  at  once  pur- 
chased two  lots  of  ground  opposite  the  Seminary  campus,  at  a 
cost  of  $12,000,  and  made  a  donation  of  them  to  the  new 
church.  This  he  followed  up  by  becoming  one  of  the  largest 
subscribers  to  the  fund  for  erecting  an  elegant  building,  capa- 


1891-1892.  CHANGES  IN  THE  FACULTY.  477 

ble  of  holding  an  audience  of  fifteen  hundred  persons.  The 
service  thus  rendered  to  the  Seminary,  as  well  as  to  the  grow- 
ing congregation  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  was  of  inestimable 
value.  While  he  lived  he  continued  a  constant  and  large  sup- 
porter of  the  pastor  and  his  people  .in  every  appeal  made  for 
funds  and  every  effort  to  extend  the  work  and  influence  of 
this  important  church.  The  church,  like  the  Seminary,  stands 
to-day,  and  will  stand,  as  a  monument  to  his  wise  foresight 
and  his  most  devoted  and  zealous  attachment. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION. 

1892-1893. 


Prosperity  of  the  Institution.  Resignation  of  Dr.  DeWitt.  Dr.  Skinner's 
Library.  Change  of  Form  of  Investment.  Dwelling  Houses  Built.  New 
Policy  Vindicated.  Value  of  Seminary  Property.  City  Mission  Work. 
Students  Enlisted  in  It.  Difficult  Field  Chosen.  Organization  of  New 
Church.  City  Mission  Committee  Formed.  New  Missions  Opened.  Evan- 
gehstic  and  Pastoral  Work  of  Faculty  of  1859.  No  Abatement  of  Interest 
in  Foreign  Missions.  Increasing  Zeal  on  Part  of  Students.  Number  Sent 
to  Foreign  Field.  Change  of  Seminary  Term.  Annual  Reunion  of  Semi- 
naries. First  Award  of  Bernadine  Orme  Smith  Fellowship.  Prize  Offered 
by  Church  of  the  Covenant.  Survey  of  the  Seminary's  History.  Its  Several 
Changes.  Its  Present  Buildings.  Its  New  Name.  The  Work  of  Christian 
Women.  Former  Professors.  Whole  Number  of  Students.  The  Present 
Increase.  The  New  Faculty.  Work  of  Directors  and  Trustees.  The  Latest 
Seminary  Boards.  Honorary  Directors.  Executive  Committee.  Essential 
Elements  in  Growth  of  the  Institution.  God's  Great  Blessing.  Man's  Con- 
centrated Agency.  The  Joint  Work.  Distinction  of  Former  Professors. 
The  Alumni  and  Their  Work  in  the  Field.  The  Opening  of  a  New  Hun- 
dred Years. 

The  session  of  1892-93  opened  with  a  larger  number  of 
students  than  had  ever  before  been  in  attendance.  Later  the 
annual  catalogue  showed  the  following  figures :  Graduate 
students,  two  ;  senior  class,  seventy-two  ;  middle  class,  fifty- 
nine  ;  junior  class,  seventy-six;  special  students,  three  ;  total, 
two  hundred  and  twelve.  The  professors  were  at  their  posts 
and  ready  for  work  with  the  exception  of  one,  Dr.  John 
DeWitt,  who,  during  the  preceding  summer,  had  resigned  the 
chair  of  Apologetics  and  Missions  to  accept  a  professorship  in 
the  seminary  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  This  was  felt  to  be  a 
great  loss,  all  the  more  as  there  had  not  been  time  to  fill  the 
vacancy  with  a  competent  successor.     Dr.  DeWitt  had   given 

478 


0 


t&it  ^^ 


REV.   EDWIN  C.  BISSELL,  D.  D. 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  479 

instruction  in  his  department  with  signal  abiHty  during  the 
four  sessions  he  was  in  Chicago.  He  had  won  the  regard  of 
his  colleagues  in  the  faculty  and  of  the  students  under  his 
care  by  his  ripe  scholarship  and  culture  as  a  professor,  and  by 
the  urbanity  and  kindness  that  marked  his  intercourse  in  the 
social  circle.  It  was  with  deep  regret  that  students,  professors 
and  friends  of  the  Seminary  alike  heard  of  his  purpose  to 
remove  to  another  field.  In  addition  to  the  work  of  his  own 
chair  he  had  given  instruction  in  other  departments  of  study 
which  had  been  temporarily  left  without  a  teacher. 

In  accordance  with  his  long  cherished  purpose  and  as  show- 
ing his  strong  attachment  to  the  Seminary,  Dr.  Skinner  in  his 
last  will  and  testament  bequeathed  to  it  his  valuable  library  of 
several  thousand  volumes.  This  was  a  most  gratifying  addi- 
tion to  the  library  of  the  institution,  and  it  is  one  of  many 
tokens  of  kindly  service  which  go  to  show  how  much  its 
friends  have  reason  to  revere  Dr.  Skinner's  memory  and  deplore 
his  loss. 

The  endowment  funds  of  the  Seminary  had  originally  been 
invested  by  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  the  form  of  loans,  made 
at  the  current  rate  of  interest  and  secured  by  mortgage  upon 
approved  Chicago  real  estate.  This  continued  until  about  the 
year  1881,  when  it  was  deemed  best  by  the  directors  and  trus- 
tees in  order  to  utilize  the  large  body  of  land  belonging  to  the 
Seminary  to  change  the  form  of  investment  by  withdrawing 
the  endowment  funds  from  loans  afid  using  them  to  build  upon 
the  Seminary  grounds  dwelling  houses  for  rental.  From  this 
it  was  thought  a  larger  percentage  could  be  obtained  on  the 
money  invested  than  from  ordinary  loans.^  According  to  this 
policy,  as  fast  as  the  money  was  in  hand  the  trustees  erected, 
in  successive  years,  two  rows  oi  dwellings,  numbering  about 
twenty  in  all,  on  Dunning  and  Montana  streets,  on  the  five- 
acre  lot  lying  in  Lake  View.     These  were  soon  rented. 

It  was  thought,  however,  that  a  larger  rate  of  interest  could 
be  obtained  by  erecting  more  commodious  and  costly  houses 
on  the  twenty-acre  lot  adjoining  the  Seminary  campus  and 
fronting  on  Fullerton  and  Belden  avenues.  During  the  years 
following  this  was  done.     A  row  of  such  dwellings  was  erected 


48o  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

each  summer,  of  six  or  more  houses,  all  of  which  were  rented 
to  good  tenants  as  soon  as  completed.  This  policy  was  found 
to  be  so  remunerative  that,  after  the  endowment  money  had 
been  thus  invested,  the  trustees  determined,  with  the  concur 
rence  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  to  sell  the  inferior  houses  on 
Dunning  and  Montana  streets  and  to  invest  the  proceeds  in 
building  houses  of  the  better  class  on  Fullerton  and  Belden 
avenues.  Thus  the  improvement  went  on  from  year  to  year 
along  these  streets,  until  the  last  row  was  built  in  1891.  The 
number  of  desirable  dwellings  thus  erected,  besides  the  eigh- 
teen on  Chalmers  place,  is  forty-eight,  and  they  have  all  been 
constantly  occupied  by  paying  tenants  at  rents  ranging  from 
forty  to  sixty  dollars  per  month.  The  change  in  the  invest- 
ment of  the  funds  has  been  amply  vindicated  by  a  largely 
increased  income,  and  besides  this  advantage  the  improve- 
ment of  the  grounds  with  handsome  residences,  with  their 
intelligent  occupants,  has  added  not  a  little  to  the  value  of  the 
whole  Seminary  property  and  to  the  beauty  and  the  growth  of 
the  neighborhood. 

As  has  already  been  seen  in  these  pages  the  Seminary,  in 
addition  to  owning  sixty-six  superior  dwelling  houses  situated 
on  the  grounds  and  yielding  rent,  possesses  nine  other  more 
costly  buildings  and  will  soon  have  a  tenth,  five  of  them  public 
halls  and  dormitories  and  five  the  residences  of  the  professors. 
The  whole  value  of  the  property  of  the  institution  as  reported 
by  the  trustees  to  the  Board  of  Directors  in  1892,  is  shown  in 
the  following  inventory : 

Twenty  acres  of  land $400,000  00 

Improvements  on  above  . '. 31,434  33 

Balance  of  five-acre  tract 70,000  00 

Chapel  and  library  building 25,000  00 

Ewing  Hall 16,000  00 

McCormick  Hall 72,41 1   79 

Fowler  Hall  and  furnishings 132,286  06 

Five  professors'  houses 60,000  00 

Eighteen  houses  on  Chalmers  place,  cost  129,017  58 
Eighteen  houses  on  Belden  avenue,  cost.  105,196  32 
Eighteen  houses  on  Fullerton  ave.,  cost.       90,727  48 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  481 

Six  houses  on  Montana  street,  cost $24,515  41 

Eight  houses  on  Burton  place  (scholar- 
ship), cost 50,000  00 

Six  houses  on  Belden  avenue  (scholar- 
ship), cost 33.076  51 

Six  houses  on  Fullerton  avenue  (scholar- 
ship), cost 34,951   31 

Seventeen  lots  at  Cornell 4,000  00 

Sterling  Manufacturing  Co.  stock 8,333  33 

Furniture  and  fixtures 5,ooo  00 

Total $1,291,950  12 

From  this  it  appears  that  the  whole  value  of  the  Seminary 
property,  including  the  land  and  all  the  improvements  upon  it, 
is  almost  one  million  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  But  it 
is  situated  in  a  portion  of  the  city  which  within  the  last  ten 
years  has  witnessed  a  wonderful  impulse  of  development, 
partly  from  the  growth  of  the  Seminary  itself  and  partly  from 
other  potential  causes.  It  is  impossible  now  to  say  to  what 
extent  the  above  valuation  will  be  enhanced  in  the  coming- 
years.  Evidently  there  lies  in  those  broad  acres,  already  sur- 
rounded by  a  growing  population  of  wealth  and  industry,  a 
solid  basis  of  growth  and  prosperity,  which  in  a  few  years 
more  can  be  estimated  only  by  millions.  All  this  is  the  out- 
come of  the  wise  and  benevolent  public  spirit  which  in  1859 
made  the  first  great  donations  of  money  and  land  and  located 
the  institution  on  a  site  so  admirably  chosen. 

In  a  former  chapter  of  this  history  some  account  was  given 
of  the  successful  efforts  made  at  different  times  by  professors 
and  students  of  the  Seminary  to  preach  the  gospel,  organize 
Sunday  schools  and  build  up  churches  in  the  destitute  portions, 
of  the  city.  It  has  also  been  mentioned  that  Dr.  Craig  had 
enlisted  a  number  of  the  students  in  an  effort  to  carry  the  gos- 
pel into  one  of  the  most  ungodly  and  neglected  regions  of  the 
city.  The  enterprise  was  undertaken  in  the  fall  of  1888,  when 
Dr.  Craig  called  for  student  volunteers  to  explore  these  locali- 
ties. Thirty-two  students  responded,  who  were  divided  into 
bands  of  four.     The  district  selected  for  the  first  missionary 


482  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

effort  was  the  one  then  referred  to  lying  southwest  of  Clybourn 
avenue.  Dr.  Craig,  with  four  of  the  students,  surveyed  the 
field  and  held  evening  meetings  for  prayer  and  exhortation  iji 
such  houses  as  were  accessible  to  them.  An  interest  was  soon 
awakened  among  the  people  of  the  neighborhood.  This 
resulted  in  a  preaching  service  on  the  Sabbath  and  the  gather- 
ing of  a  Sunday  school  in  a  store  room  secured  for  the  purpose. 
Services  were  held  there  until  the  quarters  were  outgrown, 
when  a  hall  on  the  corner  of  Vedder  and  Larrabee  streets 
became  the  place  of  meeting.  The  work  was  placed  in  special 
charge  of  one  of  the  students,  who  was  engaged  to  remain  dur- 
ing the  vacation  and  carry  it  on. 

As  the  result  of  this  continued  effort  a  large  Sunday  school 
was  gathered  and  the  people  of  the  neighborhood  became  so 
much  interested  in  the  cause  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
take  measures  for  the  organization  of  a  Presbyterian  church. 
The  Presbytery  of  Chicago  was  accordingly  invited  to  appoint 
a  meeting  for  this  purpose.      On  the  day  appointed  the  names 
of  fifty  persons  who  were  ready  to  join  the  new  organization, 
either  on  certificate  or  on  profession  of  their  faith,  were  pre- 
sented.   A  church  was  therefore  formed  at  once  with  the  name 
of  the  Olivet  Presbyterian  church.      Mr.  William  H.  Hormel, 
the  student  who  had  for  some  time  been  preaching  to  the  con- 
gregation,  and   who  had  been   licensed  and  ordained  by  the 
presbytery,  was  elected  pastor.     Four  elders  and  four  deacons 
were  elected  at  the  same  time.     The  good  work  thus  begun  has 
evidently  been  attended  with  the  special  blessing  of  God.    It  has 
been  carried  forward  to  the  present  time  with  such  success  that 
the  new  church  in  the  minutes  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1892 
makes  the  following  record :  Sixty  communicants,  four  elders, 
four  deacons,  eighteen  additions  last  year,  three  hundred  and 
fifty  in  the  Sabbath  school  and  contributions  to  all  the  Boards 
except  one.     Since  the  date  of  this  record  Mr.  Hormel  and  his 
church  have  come  into  the  occupancy  of  a  far  more  desirable 
house  of  worship,  on  Clybourn  avenue,  not  far  distant  from  their 
old  quarters.     They  have  secured  by  rental  the  large  brick  hall 
which  was  built  by  the  people  of  Professor  Swing's  congregation 
for  evangelistic  and  Sunday  school  purposes  and  was  so  occu- 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  4^3 

pied  until  recently.  In  this  more  commodious  edifice  the  pastor 
holds  regular  services  and  has  a  Sunday  school  numbering 
about  seven  hundred  scholars,  with  sixty  teachers,  one-half  of 
whom  are  young  men  from  the  Seminary. 

This  work  proving  so  fruitful  of  immediate  results,  the 
efforts  of  the  students  were  organized  under  what  is  known  as 
the  city  mission  committee  of  the  Seminary,  composed  of  two 
representatives  from  each  class  under  the  chairmanship  of  Dr. 
Craig.  This  committee  has  kept  steadily  at  work  exploring 
destitute  sections  of  the  city,  establishing  Sunday  schools  and 
opening  places  for  preaching  wherever  an  entrance  could  be 
found.  The  work  has  been  thoroughly  organized  under  sub- 
committees having  charge  of  exploration  of  new  fields  and 
oversight  of  old  ones,  spiritual  visitation,  preaching  services, 
reporting  to  the  religious  press  the  progress  of  the  work  and 
the  finances  of  the  committee,  which  are  raised  by  personal 
subscription  to  the  cause.  The  students  have  been  found  not 
only  willing  but  eager  to  engage  in  the  volunteer  service. 
An  average  of  sixty  per  cent  of  the  whole  number  are  at  work 
each  Sunday. 

Besides  the  work  in  the  Olivet  church,  where  the  students 
teach  in  the  Sabbath  school,  a  mission  was  opened  in  Decem- 
ber, 1889,  at  the  corner  of  Elston  and  FuUerton  avenues. 
Here  a  Sabbath  school  and  preaching  services  were  conducted 
for  more  than  two  years,  when,  after  a  canVass  of  a  more  needy 
district,  the  mission  was  moved  to  a  hall  on  the  corner  of  Mil- 
waukee and  Elston  avenues.  During  the  summer  the  commit- 
tee supported  a  missionary  in  this  field.  This  work  has  grown 
until  there  is  an  attendance  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  in 
the  Sabbath  school,  with  an  evening  congregation  of  ninety, 
and  also  a  flourishing  young  people's  society  and  a  children's 
meeting.  This  mission  is  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee 
ready  for  organization  Dr.  Bissell  as  soon  as  he  entered  upon 
his  duties  as  a  professor  in  the  Seminary  became  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  evangelistic  work  of  the  students  and  took  charge 
of  one  of  the  West  Side  missions,  where  he  has  ever  since  been 
doing  good  service. 

In  the  fall  of  1891  the  committee  explored  a  district  on  the 


484  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

West  Side  and  in  November  of  the  same  year  a  Sabbath  school 
was  organized  and  manned  by  Seminary  students,  which 
steadily  grew  until  finally  it  was  taken  in  charge  by  the  home 
missionary  committee  of  the  Chicago  Presbytery  and  a  mis- 
sionary was  placed  in  charge  and  supported  during  the 
summer.  In  the  spring  of  1893  it  has  a  Sunday  school  of 
two  hundred,  with  an  attendance  at  all  services  of  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy.  The  extent  of  the  missionary  work  done 
by  the  students  may  be  seen  from  the  report  of  one  of  the 
sub-committees,  who  have  charge  of  regular  spiritual  work  in 
the  following  places  in  the  city  :  House  of  Correction,  County 
Jail,  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  Waifs  Mission,  Martha 
Washington  Home,  Bethesda  Inn,  Cook  County  Hospital, 
Pacific  Garden  Mission,  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  halls 
and  in  various  mission  Sunday  schools.  Besides  this  regular 
work,  occasional  work  is  done  in  house  to  house  visitation  in 
various  mission  districts  and  in  evangelistic  effort  in  other 
houses  of  refuge,  asylums  and  similar  places. 

In  the  minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  1892  may  be 
found  the  following  appreciative  statement  made  by  the 
faculty  to  the  directors  in  relation  to  the  important  missionarj/ 
work  which  had  been  so  successfully  prosecuted  by  the 
students  for  several  years.  The  professors  say:  "The  grow- 
ing interest  in  city  missions  among  the  students  has  led  to  the 
organization  of  a  "permanent  committee  to  direct  it.  This 
committee  is  composed  of  two  from  each  class  chosen  for  this 
purpose,  with  Dr.  W.  G.  Craig  as  permanent  chairman.  The 
work  has  been  so  arranged  by  them  that  nearly  fifty  students 
have  been  systematically  employed  in  collecting  and  diffusing 
facts  in  regard  to  city  work  in  all  part§  of  the  world  and  in 
enlisting  the  co-operation  of  three  other  Chicago  seminaries. 
The  needs  of  the  field  have  been  carefully  studied  in  all  phases 
and  in  all  parts  of  the  city.  One  mission  in  a  most  destitute 
part  of  the  city  has  been  organized  into  a  church  during  the 
year  and  a  prosperous  mission  established  on  Milwaukee  avenue. 
This  work  does  not  interfere  with  Seminary  duty,  but  it  is  ac- 
knowledged by  our  graduates  to  be  one  of  the  most  helpful 
features  of  Seminary  life." 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  485 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  important  evangeHstic  work  carried 
on  by  Professor  Craig  and  successive  bands  of  students  in  the 
Seminary  during  recent  years  and  resulting  in  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  several  destitute  parts  of  the  city  is  in  full  accord  with 
and  along  the  line  of  what  was  accomplished  under  different 
professors  and  students  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  institution  as 
narrated  in  an  earlier  chapter.  The  number  of  workers  was 
then  much  smaller  and  the  hopeful  results  were  much  longer 
delayed  in  coming.  But  they  came  in  time  and  the  results 
were  not  less  marked  and  beneficial.  The  success  of  that  earlier 
evangelistic  work  is  now  attested  by  the  presence  of  many 
flourishing  organized  congregations  and  Sunday  schools— both 
of  the  Presbyterian  and  other  evangelical  denominations- 
scattered  over  all  the  northern  portion  of  the  city,  where 
no  such  organizations  existed  when  the  Seminary  began  its 
work  thirty  years  ago. 

When  the  Seminary  was  located  in  Chicago  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  1859,  ^11  the  professors  chosen  by  that  body  to  fill 
its  chairs  were  called  from  churches  where  they  had  served  as 
pastors.  It  was  a  favorite  idea,  both  with  Dr.  Rice  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Cormick,  that  each  professor  should  combine  the  double  work, 
so  soon  as  the  way  could  be  opened,  of  the  pastor  and  the  theo- 
logical teacher.  In  a  strong  plea  for  this  location  made  by  Dr. 
Rice  on  the  floor  of  the  Assembly  he  stated  that  Chicago  was 
a  city  whose  population  consisted  of  an  unusually  large  pro- 
portion of  young  men  ;  and  he  contended  that  a  large  school 
of  educated  young  men  studying  for  the  ministry,  under 
evangelical  and  experienced  teachers,  could  not  fail  to  make 
its  Christian  influence  powerfully  felt  on  the  city.  It  was 
maintained  that  among  the  many  benefits  which  would  follow 
such  a  location  one,  and  that  not  the  least,  would  be  that  the 
gospel,  from  such  a  center  of  influence,  would  in  time  be 
carried  to  all  the  outlying  and  ungodly  masses  within  its  reach. 
Under  such  evangelistic  and  hopeful  influences  the  institu- 
tion took  its  new  departure  in  this  young  and  growing  city. 
Dr.  Rice  was  already  a  pastor  in  what  was  then  the  North 
Presbyterian  church.  Dr.  Lord,  as  soon  as  he  could  gather 
the. scattered  sheep  and  build  a  house  of  worship  on  Fullerton 


486  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

avenue,  became  a  pastor  also.  Dr.  Halsey  took  pastoral  charge 
of  what  was  then  the  South  Presbyterian  church,  at  Third 
avenue  and  Jackson  street,  to  which  he  ministered  a  year.  Dr. 
Scott  during  the  two  winters  after  his  coming  to  Chicago 
engaged  the  largest  public  hall  in  the  city,  Bryan  Hall,  on 
Clark  street  opposite  the  court-house,  and  preached  on  Sunday 
evenings  a  series  of  thrilling  gospel  sermons  especially  ad- 
dressed to  young  men,  who  crowded  with  eager  interest  to 
hear  them.  Thus  the  pastoral  and  evangelistic  work  of  the 
Seminary  began  at  the  same  time  with  its  more  formal  theo- 
logical instructions.  And  thus  it  has  been  continued  under 
successive  professors  and  bands  of  students,  through  all  the 
years  of  the  history,  down  to  this  larger  evangelistic  movement 
which  has  been  developed  during  the  last  few  years.  We  who 
were  here  at  the  opening  of  the  Seminary  and  have  lived 
through  the  succeeding  years  have  seen  the  value  of  this 
evangelistic  work  proved  in  many  ways  and  the  policy  of  the 
Seminary  fully  vindicated. 

These  evangelistic  efforts  in  behalf  of  city  missions,  which 
have  been  so  widely  put  forth  by  the  students,  have  in  no  way 
abated  their  interest  in  the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  On  the 
contrary  there  has  been  an  increasing  number  of  those  who 
were  ready  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  heathen  nations  of  the 
earth.  While  these  active  home  efforts  have  been  going  on 
every  session  to  reach  the  destitute  masses  around  us  and  pre- 
pare the  way  for. the  organization  of  new  churches,  a  corre- 
sponding zeal  has  been  awakened  in  behalf  of  the  far  off 
heathen  and  the  students  of  the  McCormick  Seminary  in 
recent  years  have  stood  ready  in  larger  numbers  to  respond  to 
the  call  of  the  Master  to  leave  all  and  go  abroad  than  the 
mission  boards  of  the  Church  have  been  able  to  send.  These 
two  evangelistic  impulses  for  the  home  and  foreign  fields  work 
together  and  are  mutually  quickened  and  augmented  by  each 
other,  as  belonging  to  the  one  great  cause  of  Christ.  The  in- 
creasing zeal  among  the  students  in  behalf  of  foreign  missions 
is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  twenty  members  of  the  graduat- 
ing class  of  1892  offered  themselves  to  the  Board  of  Missions 
to  be  sent  to  the  foreign  fields.     Of  the  present  senior  class, 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  48/ 

which  will  be  graduated  in  May,  1893,  fifteen  have  already 
applied  for  commissions  to  the  foreign  field,  and  others  will 
probably  apply  for  the  same  purpose.  In  a  former  year  more 
than  twenty  of  the  graduating  class  «\vere  ready  to  be  sent  to 
heathen  lands,  but  could  not  be  accepted  by  the  Board  for 
lack  of  funds.  In  the  seven  years  since  1886  forty-two  grad- 
uates of  the  institution  have  actually  gone  as  ordained  mission- 
aries of  the  cross  to  different  parts  of  the  heathen  world. 

When  the  Seminary  was  opened  at  Chicago  in  1859  ^^^^ 
annual  session,  as  determined  by  the  Board  of  Directors, 
embraced  seven  months  of  continued  study,  beginning  the  first 
Thursday  in  September  and  closing  the  first  Thursday  in 
April.  This  order  remained  unchanged  down  to  the  meeting 
of  the  Board  in  1892.  It  was  then  so  modified  as  to  make  the 
session  a  little  longer  and  its  opening  and  its  closing  a  little 
later  in  the  year.  Each  session  was  made  to  consist  of  thirty- 
two  weeks  of  study.  The  tim.e  for  closing  was  fixed  for  the 
first  Thursday  in  May,  and  the  time  of  opening  was  to  be 
just  thirty-two  weeks  before  that  date,  which  brings  it  on  the 
third  Thursday  in  September,  except  when  that  month  comes 
in  on  Thursday,  in  which  event  the  opening  would  be  on  the 
fourth  Thursday.  This  change  brought  the  institution  into 
fuller  agreement  with  the  calendar  of  other  Presbyterian  semi- 
naries and  on  other  accounts  was  deemed  advisable. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  Seminary  life  in  Chicago  the  idea 
was  conceived  of  holding  once  each  session,  for  the  professors 
and  students  of  the  different  theological  seminaries  in  this  city, 
a  social  meeting  or  reunion,  to  be  held  in  rotation  at  the  differ- 
ent institutions  for  purposes  of  acquaintance,  friendly  inter- 
course and  exchange  of  ideas  as  to  Christian  work.  The 
proposition  as  soon  as  presented  to  the  several  student  bodies 
and  their  professors  was  cordially  responded  to  and  at  once  went 
into  effect  on  the  part  of  the  Congregational,  Baptist,  Metho- 
dist and  Presbyterian  seminaries.  The  meeting  thus  originated 
has  been  kept  up  every  year.  It  is  always  held  in  the  evening 
and  has  been  an  occasion  of  much  enjoyment  and  profitable 
suggestion,  the  entertainment  consisting  of  addresses  by 
students  and  professors  of  the  different  seminaries,  music  and 


488  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

refreshments.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  reunion  so 
long  observed  has  brought  these  four  institutions  into  closer 
affiliation  with  each  other  and  contributed  much  to  the  growth 
of  inter-denominational  co-operation. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  a  fellowship  was  founded  in 
the  Seminary  by  Col.  Dudley  C.  Smith  of  Bloomington,  111., 
called  the  Bernadine  Orme  Smith  fellowship,  the  income  of 
which  was  to  be  awarded  by  the  faculty  and  directors  to  that 
student  of  the  senior  class  who,  in  their  judgment,  had  attained 
the  highest  excellence  in  scholarship  during  his  attendance  at 
the  Seminary.  The  first  award  under  this  arrangement  was 
made  to  Mr.  George  Frederic  Ayers  of  the  class  of  91.  Mr. 
Ayers  on  receiving  this  fellowship  decided  on  a  course  of  study 
'ai  Europe  and  spent  some  time  at  Leipsic  in  studying  the 
Semitic  languages.  In  order  to  promote  a  more  thorough 
study  of  the  English  Bible,  a  prize  of  two  hundred  dollars  was 
offered  by  the  Church  of  the  Covenant,  through  its  pastor,  Rev. 
D.  R.  Breed,  D.D.,  to  the  senior  class,  to  be  given  to  that  mem- 
ber who,  after  a  competitive  examination  at  the  close  of  the 
session,  should  be  adjudged  to  have  attained  the  most  compre- 
hensive and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  English  Bible.  The 
prize  has  been  awarded  three  successive  years  to  the  student 
who  was  deemed  best  entitled  to  it  by  the  committee  of 
examination. 

In  closing  this  survey  of  the  Seminary's  history  it  may  be 
of  interest  to  the  reader  of  these  pages  to  give,  at  one  view,  a 
brief  recapitulation  and  summary  of  the  successive  stages 
through  which  the  Seminary  has  passed  in  reaching  its  well 
assured  position  among  the  established  institutions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  It  seems  all  the  more  in  place  to  do  so 
at  this  particular  point,  when  the  closing  chapter  of  our  his- 
tory as  a  school  of  sacred  learning  so  nearly  synchronizes  with 
some  of  the  most  memorable  events  of  our  history  both  as  a 
church  and  a  nation.  First,  it  brings  us  to  this  great  Colum- 
bian year  of  1892-1893,  which  marks  the  four  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  the  discovery  of  America  and  of  the  advance  of 
civilization  around  the  globe,  an  era  never  to  be  forgotten  in 
the  history  of  man.     Next,  it  brings  us  down  only  four  years 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CO.\XLUSION.  489 

beyond  our  great  centennial  anniversary  of  1889,  which 
marked  ahke  the  inauguration  of  our  Presbyterian  Church 
under  its  first  General  Assembly  and  the  inauguration  of  our 
national  government  under  its  federal  constitution  and  the 
presidency  of  Washington  the  same  year.  What  a  period  is 
this,  vvith  its  great  and  pregnant  historic  events,  with  its  cen- 
tennial and  quadricentennial  memories  reminding  of  all  that 
God  has  accomplished.  "  What  ages  of  the  world  on  ages  tell- 
ing "  can  repeat  for  us  a  more  wonderful  story  of  adventure 
and  accomplishment,  of  advance  in  knowledge  and  of  historic 
sacrifice  and  endurance  for  liberty  and  right,  than  that  which 
has  been  enacted  in  America  since  the  opening  of  these  mem- 
orable epochs.  It  has  been  sublime  to  live  and  labor  for  the 
high  interests  of  God  and  man  at  such  a  time  as  this  and  in 
such  a  land  as  ours.  We  should  take  encouragement  from  all 
the  memorable  past  and  nerve  our  souls  for  all  the  glory  of  the 
coming  years. 

This  auspicious  double  anniversary,  while  it  invites  the  whole 
church  and  nation  reverently  to  recall  and  admire  the  won- 
ders of  God's  providential  dealing  towards  us  on  the  wider 
scale,  is  not  without  its  many  instructive  lessons  in  a  narrower 
field,  as  we  trace  His  gracious  favoring  hand  to  this  school  of 
the  prophets  through  the  more  than  three  score  years  of  its 
checkered  history.  The  writer  feels  grateful  to  God  that  his 
own  working  days  have  been  prolonged  to  the  point  at  which 
he  can  take  this  retrospect  and  place  on  record  these  memo- 
rials of  the  divine  goodness. 

W^e  have  seen  how,  in  weakness  and  in  trial,  yet  in  strong 
faith  and  praj^er,  the  Seminary  was  first  organized  at  Hanover, 
Indiana,  in  the  year  1830,  as  a  department  of  Hanover  Col- 
lege, where  it  was  conducted  for  ten  years  under  the  faith- 
ful instruction  of  the  Rev.  John  Matthews,  D.D.,  and  others, 
during  which  time  forty-five  young  men  were  educated  for  the 
ministry.  We  have  next  seen  how  this  Theological  Department, 
having  accomplished  its  pioneer  work  at  Hanover  and  needing 
a  wider  field,  was  removed  in  1 840  by  the  synods  in  charge  of 
it  and  re-established  as  a  separate  Theological  Seminary  at 
New  Albany,  Indiana,  in  consequence  of  the  offer  of  a  liberal 


490  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

donation  by  Mr.  Elias  Ayers  of  that  city.  At  this  well 
chosen  location,  with  the  title  of  the  New  Albany  Theolog- 
ical Seminary,  it  carried  on  its  appropriate  work  for  seventeen 
years  under  the  efficient  instruction  of  Dr.  John  Matthews  and 
Dr.  James  Wood,  until  the  death  of  the  former  in  1848,  and 
then  under  the  able  instruction  of  Drs.  Wood,  E.  D.  MacMas- 
ter,  Daniel  Stewart,  Thomas  E.  Thomas  and  Philip  Lindsley. 
During  this  second  period  of  its  history  the  school  educated 
one  hundred  and  forty-seven  young  men  for  the  ministry. 

In  1859,  after  several  years  of  discussion,  a  third  location 
was  found  for  the  institution,  nearer  the  center  of  its  great 
field.  By  the  concurrent  action  of  its  Board  of  Directors  and 
of  the  seven  Northwestern  synods  then  controlling  it  at  New 
Albany,  the  school  was  transferred  to  the  control  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  whole  Church.  The  Assembly  in  session 
that  year  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  received  from  Mr.  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick  the  offer  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  its 
endowment,  on  condition  that  it  should  be  permanently  located 
at  Chicago.  The  Assembly  accepted  the  gift,  fixed  upon  Chi- 
cago as  the  most  fitting  place  for  a  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west and  at  once  appointed  a  new  Board  of  Directors  and  a 
new  faculty  to  open  the  school  at  Chicago  under  that  wider 
designation.  The  professors  appointed  by  the  Assembly  were 
Drs.  Nathan  L.  Rice,  W^illis  Lord,  Le  Roy  J.  Halsey  and  Will- 
iam M.  Scott.  They  were  inaugurated  in  October,  1859,  a"'^^ 
with  fifteen  students  in  attendance  the  institution  entered  upon 
its  third  and  more  hopeful  period  of  life. 

Soon  after  this  opening,  as  we  have  seen,  the  spacious  and 
beautiful  grounds  on  which  the  Seminary  buildings  now  stand 
were  donated  to  it  by  four  public-spirited  land-owners  of  Chi- 
cago, twenty  acres  by  Messrs.  William  B.  Ogden  and  Joseph  E. 
Sheffield  and  five  acres  by  Messrs.  William  Lill  and  Michael 
Diversy.  The  first  building,  Ewing  Hall,  was  erected  in 
1863;  the  second,  for  chapel  and  library,  in  1875;  the  third, 
McCormick  Hall,  for  students'  rooms,  in  1884;  the  fourth. 
Fowler  Hall,  for  students'  and  lecture  rooms,  in  1887,  and  the 
fifth,  the  new  library  building,  will  be  erected  in  1893.  Besides 
these  public  halls,  five  comfortable  dwelling  houses  have  been 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  491 

erected  for  the  professors  since  1882.  This  fine  group  of  edu- 
cational buildings,  all  of  brick  and  stone  and  all  artistically 
arranged  on  a  broad  campus  adorned  with  grassy  lawns,  shade 
trees  and  gravel  walks,  constitutes  an  attractive  feature  to  the 
eye  of  the  visitor  and  makes  the  Seminary  an  ornament  to  the 
city.  In  its  outward  adornments  and  in  completeness  of  its  m- 
ternal  arrangements  the  institution  is  probably  not  excelled  by 
any  similar  one  in  the  country.  The  five  public  buildings  with 
the  five  residences  of  the  professors  will  represent  an  outlay 
of  about  $380,000,  of  which  more  than  $300,000  was  contrib- 
uted by  Mr.  McCormick  and  his  family.  But  in  addition  to 
this  large  outlay  on  buildings,  and  in  addition  also  to  his  orig- 
inal endowment  of  $100,000  to  the  Assembly,  Mr.  McCormick 
prior  to  his  death  in  1884  had  contributed  to  the  endowment 
funds  the  further  sum  of  $75,000.  After  his  death  Mrs. 
McCormick  and  Mr.  C.  H.  McCormick,  Jr.,  followed  up  these 
large  gifts  with  a  munificent  donation  of  $100,000  in  1885, 
with  a  still  larger  one  of  $127,000  in  1889,  with  another  of 
$48,000  in  1892,  and  have  promised  $50,000  for  a  library 
building  in  1893. 

In  consideration  of  a  liberality  so  long  continued  and  so 
unusual,  the  Board  of  Directors  and  the  Board  of  Trustees,  in 
1886,  took  concurrent  action  asking  the  General  Assembly  to 
so  amend  the  constitution  of  the  Seminary  as  to  change  the 
name  of  the  institution  from  its  old  title  of  The  Presbyterian 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  to  that  of  The  McCor- 
mick Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  This 
measure,  adopted  by  a  unanimous  vote  in  each  of  the  Semi- 
nary Boards,  was  adopted  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1886  by 
a  vote  almost  unanimous. 

Through  all  these  stages  the  Seminary  has  been  favored  in 
a  high  degree  with  one^  class  of  faithful  workers  to  whom 
much  of  its  final  success  is  largely  due  and  of  whose  work 
there  has  been  hardly  enough  said.  That  class  consisted  of 
the  earnest  and  active  Christian  ladies,  some  connected  with 
the  families  of  the  professors,  some  with  those  of  the  directors 
and  trustees  and  some  with  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  the 
city  and  country  at  large,  who,  when  called  upon  for  aid,  never 


49-  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

failed  to  respond  with  their  cordial  sympathy  and  co-operation. 
And  in  times  of  depression- and  discouragement  such  calls  were 
not  infrequently  made.  As  has  been  seen  in  the  earlier  part  of 
the  history  the  institution  had  its  dark  days  of  trial  and  des- 
pondency when  the  faith  of  its  friends  and  teachers  was  much 
shaken.  It  was  said  of  the  ancient  Church,  ''What  womei) 
these  Christians  have!"  So  may  it  be  said  of  the  Seminary 
that  in  its  darkest  hour  of  trial  it  ever  found  a  true  and  de- 
voted band  of  women  ready  to  extend  a  cordial  sympathy  and 
a  willing  hand  to  help  forward  its  great  work,  whose  good 
deeds  prove  them  worthy  to  be  ranked  with  the  noble  women 
of  the  early  Church. 

One  instance  pf  this  helpfulness  and  sympathy,  already 
briefly  mentioned,  was  when  on  the  erection  of  the  original 
building  a  large  number  of  the  rooms  for  students  were  com- 
pletely supplied  with  furniture  and  all  needed  articles  by  indi- 
vidual donors  among  the  ladies  of  the  Presbyterian  churches 
in  Illinois  and  other  states  in  the  Northwest.  Another  and 
later  instance,  spoken  of  in  the  testimonial  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  already  quoted,  was  when  in  the  two  years  preceding 
1879  the  ladies  of  Chicago,  with  the  help  of  a  much  larger 
number  belonging  to  the  churches  of  Illinois  and  other  states, 
set  to  work  and  raised  a  fund  sufficient  to  refurnish  the  whole 
building  with  new  articles,  which  it  greatly  needed  after  the 
wear  and  tear  of  about  fifteen  years.  But  it  is  not  necessary 
to  recount  all  the  occasions  when  or  all  the  methods  in  which 
this  beneficent  agency  was  exerted  in  behalf  of  the  Seminary 
and  its  inmates.  Sometimes  it  was  in  the  form  of  a  reception 
or  social  entertainment  provided  by  the  ladies  and  given  at  the 
Seminary.  Sometimes  it  took  the  form  of  providing  funds  or 
clothing  for  any  one  at  the  institution  who  might  be  found  in 
need  of  such  supply.  Sometimes  it  took  the  form  of  kindly  per- 
sonal attendance  on  any  student  who  might  be  there  confined 
by  serious  illness,  and  sometimes  of  inviting  such  an  one  while 
recovering  to  stay  at  the  family  home  in  the  city  until  health 
should  be  fully  regained.  Various  were  the  occasions  and  vari- 
ous the  forms  in  which  this  benevolent,  watchful  and  whole- 
hearted activity  of  our  Christian  ladies  found  its  expression. 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  493 

When  the  corner  stone  of  the  second  edifice  of  the  Semi- 
nary, to  contain  chapel  and  Hbrary,  was  laid  in  the  summer  of 
1875,  the  writer  of  this  history,  who  had  been  appointed  to 
deliver  an  address  on  the  occasion,  closed  his  remarks  with  the 
following  well  considered  and  emphatic  words :  "  The  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest  has  never  had  any  better 
friends  than  the  ladies  of  the  churches.  Look  where  you  will, 
through  the  halls,  the  public  rooms  and  the  study  chambers  of 
our  present  building,  and  you  will  find  the  tokens  of  their 
tasteful  agency  and  their  generous  liberality.  You  will  find 
them  on  our  doors  and  on  our  walls,  on  our  floors  and  on  our 
ceilings.  So,  therefore,  when  the  capstone  of  this  new  build- 
ing shall  have  gone  up  to  its  lofty  resting  place  and  these 
bright  new  walls,  ceilings  and  floors  shall  be  ready  for  the 
garniture  and  the  furniture,  to  receive  that  finishing  decoration 
and  tasteful  ornamentation  which  shall  make  them  '  a  thing  of 
beauty  and  a  joy  forever,'  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  same  kind 
hearts  and  the  same  efficient  hands  which  have  responded  to 
all  former  appeals  will  be  found  willing  and  ready  for  all  need- 
ful work  and  contribution.  All  honor  to  the  ladies.  God 
bless  our  noble  women  who  love  the  Seminary,  who  love 
the  Church,  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  All  honor  to 
them  for  what  they  have  done  and  for  what  it  is  in  their  hearts 
yet  to  do." 

The  faculty  of  instruction  in  the  Seminary  prior  to  the 
election  of  its  present  new  faculty,  as  shown  by  the  catalogue 
of  1 880-1 88 1,  consisted  of  the  following  professors:  Rev.  LeRoy 
J.  Halsey,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  professor  of  Historical  and  Pastoral 
Theology  and  Church  Government,  elected  in  1859;  Rev. 
Charles  Elliott,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  professor  of  Biblical  Literature 
and  Exegesis,  elected  in  1863  ;  Rev.  William  M.  Blackburn, 
D.D.,  professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  History,  elected 
in  1868;  Rev.  Francis  L.  Patton,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick  professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  elected 
in  1872;  Rev.  Robert  W.  Patterson,  D.D.,  professor  of 
Christian  Evidences  and  Ethics,  elected  in  1873  5  Rev.  Herrick 
Johnson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  special  lecturer  on  Homiletics,  elected 
in  1880. 


494  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

The  whole  number  of  students  graduated  from  the  Semi- 
nary between  the  date  of  its  removal  to  Chicago  and  the  year 
1893  is  nine  hundred  and  thirty-one,  making  with  tl^ose  gradu- 
ated at  its  former  locations — forty-five  at  Hanover  and  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven  at  New  Albany — the  aggregate  of 
eleven  hundred  and  twenty-three.  With  the  ampler  accom- 
modation as  to  buildings  and  the  increased  facilities  for  study 
received  during  the  last  ten  years,  the  institution  is  now  grow- 
ing at  a  rate,  which  was  never  possible  in  former  years.  The 
number  of  students  matriculated  with  each  new  class  has  a 
large  and  steady  increase.  From  the  highest  number  under 
the  former  period,  which  was  less  than  fifty,  the  roll  of  all  the 
classes  has  gone  up  rapidly,  until  it  has  reached  the  number  of 
two  hundred  and  twelve  during  the  session  of  1 892-1 893. 
The  increase  of  students  within  the  last  decade  is  largely  due 
to  the  better  accommodations  and  facilities  for  study  provided 
in  the  new  buildings,  and  to  the  greater  amount  of  beneficiary 
aid  furnished  to  students  on  the  scholarship^  account.  All  the 
present  professors  except  Dr.  Halsey  have  entered  upon  their 
work  since  1880.  The  whole  teaching  force  of  the  institution, 
as  shown  by  the  annual  catalogue  of  1892-1893,  consists  of  the 
following  instructors :  * 

Rev.  LeRoy  J.  Halsey,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  professor  emeritus  of 
Church  Government  and  the  Sacraments ;  Rev.  Willis  G. 
Craig,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick  professor  of  Didactic 
and  Polemic  Theology  ;  Rev.  David  C.  Marquis,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
professor  of  New  Testament  Literature  and  Exegesis ;  Rev. 
Andrew  C.  Zenos,  D.D.,  professor  of  Biblical  and  Ecclesias- 
tical History;  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  professor 
of  Sacred  Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology :  Rev.  Edwin  C. 
Bissell,  D.D.,  professor  of  Old  Testament  Literature  and  Exe- 
gesis ;  Rev.  Augustus  S.  Carrier,  A.M.,  professor  of  Hebrew 
and  the  Cognate  Languages;  Edwin  M.  Booth,  A.M.,  in- 
structor in  Elocution  and  Voice  Culture. 

The  two  Seminary  boards  of  directors  and  trustees,  who 
have  had  the  whole  administrative  and  financial  control  of  the 
institution,  and  who  have  conducted  it  safely  through  the 
thirty-four  years  of  its  history  at  Chicago,  have  certainly  done 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  495 

their  work  with  commendable  zeal  and  ability.  They  have  all 
been  true  and  faithful  men,  in  earnest  sympathy  with  the 
important  work  committed  to  their  hands  and  deeply  con- 
scious of  the  great  responsibility  thus  placed  upon  them  by 
the  Church.  The  Seminary  has  not  been  without  its  mone- 
tary dangers,  at  times  having  passed  through  seasons  of  peril- 
ous commercial  and  financial  embarrassments,  yet  of  all  the 
Large  pecuniary  interests,  in  the  shape  of  funds  and  real-estate, 
committed  to  their  custody  they  have  lost  nothing.  Their 
guardianship  has  at  all  times  been  conservative,  wise,  efficient 
and  successful. 

Nor  has  this  voluntary  and  gratuitous  work  been  without 
its  sacrifices.  Many  of  the  directors,  residing  at  distant  points 
in  the  wide  field  of  the  Seminary,  which  covers  all  the  sur- 
rounding states,  have  had  to  make  long  journeys  to  Chicago, 
to  attend  the  regular  and  called  meetings  of  the  Board,  involv- 
ing no  inconsiderable  expense  both  of  time  and  money.  Yet 
in  no  instance  have  the  interests  of  the  institution  ever 
suffered  by  reason  of  their  absence.  Of  the  original  forty 
members  constituting  the  Board  of  Directors  in  1859,  ^^'^^  half 
ministers  and  the  other  half  ruling  elders,  and  each  elected  for 
a  term  of  four  years,  some,  after  repeated  terms  of  faithful 
service,  have  finished  their  work  and  passed  to  their  heavenly 
home.  Of  these,  brief  biographical  sketches  in  many  cases, 
though  not  in  all,  have  been  incorporated  in  this  history  at  the 
close  of  its  chapters.  Other  directors,  after  doing  good  service 
for  years,  removed  to  other  parts  of  the  country  and  their 
connection  with  the  Board  ceased.  Of  all  who  were  elected  on 
the  original  Board  of  1859,  ^^^  ^^^^  began  their  service  with 
the  Seminary  here  over  thirty  years  ago,  only  one  is  now  con- 
nected with  it,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  W.  Harsha,  of  Tecumseh,  Ne- 
braska. Two  others  of  the  present  Board  have  been  members 
from  an  early  period,  the  Rev.  Robert  Beer,  of  Garden  Grove, 
la.,  and  Henry  G.  Miller,  Esq.,  of  Chicago. 

As- shown  in  the  annual  catalogue  of  1 892-1893,  the  Board 
of  Directors  consists  of  the  following  members :  Ministers, 
Robert  Beer,  Thomas  H.  Cleland,  Jr.,  Adam  W.  Ringland, 
Robert   Christie,    Thomas    X.    Orr,    Alex.    G.    Wilson,    J.    F. 


49^  HISTORY  OF  McCORiMlCK  SEMINARY. 

Magill,  D.  W.  Fisher,  Thomas  D.  Wallace,  Wm.  C.  Roberts, 
Wm.  W.  Harsha,  Simon  J.  McPherson,  H.  Johnson,  M.  C. 
Williams,  Ezra  B.  Newcomb,  Samuel  J.  Ni^colls,  Thomas 
D.  Ewing,  David  R.  Breed,  Ambrose  C.  Smith,  Wallace  Rad- 
cliffe ;  Ruling  elders,  C.  H.  Mulliken,  Ferdinand  Fairman, 
William  M.  Tenney,  Thomas  D.  Foster,  Henry  M.  Ralston,  C. 
C.  Brown,  William  H.  Hoffman,  J.  H.  Holliday,  Silas  W. 
Chapman,  Walter  L.  Rankin,  Henry  G.  Miller,  Thomas  Dent, 
William  C.  Gray,  Thomas  Kane,  James  M.  Horton,  John 
Coates,  Thomas  A.  Gait,  Thomas  S.  Ridgevvay,  Charles  M. 
Howe,  Peter  Risser ;  Special  director,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick ; 
Honorary  directors,  M.  Woolsey  Stryker,  Thomas  D.  Logan, 
John  Barbour,  Thomas  C.  Hall,  John  L.  Withrow.  The  Board 
of  Trustees  at  the  same  time  was  composed  of  the  following 
named  gentlemen  :  Henry  W.  King,  Cyrus  H.  Adams,  Cyrus 
H.  McCormick,  W^illiam  C.  Goudy,  Marvin  Hughitt,  Horace 
A.  Hurlbut,  Abram  Poole,  Hugh  McBirney,  Edward  M.  Teall. 
There  is  also  an  executive  committee  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors consisting  of  seven  of  its  members,  .to  which  is  com- 
mitted much  practical  work  between  the  annual  meetings 
of  the  Board.  The  members  of  this  committee  at  present  are  : 
William  C.  Gray,  A.  G.  Wilson,  Henry  G.  Miller,  Cyrus  H. 
McCormick,  C.  H.  Mulliken,  Thomas  Dent,  David  R.  Breed. 

We  have  thus  been  able  to  trace  the  history  of  the  Semi- 
nary from  its  small  beginning  at  Hanover  nearly  sixty-four 
years  ago,  from  its  enlargement  at  New  Albany  ten  years 
later  and  from  the  opening  of  its  new  and  wider  life  at  Chicago 
thirty-four  years  ago.  Through  all  these  periods  we  have 
been  able  to  mark  its  progress  and  to  sec  very  distinctly  the 
benignant  over-ruling  hand  of  God  in  bringing  it  to  its  present 
enlarged  proportions.  It  is  a  consummation  of  which  the 
Presbyterian  Church  need  not  be  ashamed,  although  it  has 
taken  much  toil  and  many  years  to  bring  it  about.  It  is  a 
result  accomplished  which  to  the  Church  to-day  is  well  worth 
all  it  has  cost  of  patience,  of  self-sacrificing  toil  and  of  money, 
and  it  is  equally  true  of  them  all  that  they  have  not  been  lost. 
They  have  all  been  saved,  all  been  well-invested,  all  laid  up  in 
blessing  for  the  time  to  come. 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  497 

Thus  while  discerning  the  good  providence  of  God  through 
all  this  history,  we  have  also  been  able  to  see  clearly  throuc^h 
what  means  and  agencies  the  great  result  has  been  accom- 
plished. The  Seminary  stands  to-day,  not  only  as  a  monument 
to  God's  great  goodness,  but  also  as  the  exponent  of  the  many 
faithful  workers  who  in  his  hand  have  conspired  together  to 
^  produce  this  great  result  for  the  good  of  his  Church  and  the 
glory  of  his  name.  Our  school  of  sacred  learning,  as  its  his- 
tory has  here  been  traced,  brings  distinctly  into  view  several 
united  human  agencies  as  the  elements  of  its  growth,  all  work- 
ing together  and  working  harmoniously  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  one  grand  end.  These  combined  workers,  or  classes 
of  workers,  have  been  its  liberal  donors  and  devoted  friends, 
its  faithful  directors  and  persevering  agents,  its  vigilant 
trustees,  its  hard-working  professors,  its  diligent,  conscientious 
students.  Without  these  agencies,  working  together,  it  is 
easy  to  see  that  no  theological  seminary,  which  is  a  training 
school  for  an  educated  and  consecrated  ministry,  can  ever  be 
built  up  on  any  scale  adequate  to  the  wants  of  the  Church  and 
the  demands  of  the  age. 

It  is  no  presumption  and  no  vain  boasting  to  say  that, 
because  of  these  agencies,  this  institution,  considered  as  one 
united  endeavor  of  the  Church,  through  its  whole  history  has 
been  eminently  blessed  of  God.  At  times  it  has  had  to  wait 
for  that  blessing,  but  in  the  end  it  has  surely  come.  The 
school  has  had  large-hearted  generous  supporters  and  self- 
sacrificing  friends  not  excelled  by  those  of' any  similar  institu- 
tion. It  has  always  had  a  wise  and  watchful  directory,  with  its 
energetic  sohciting  agents.  It  has.  never  lacked  a  competent 
and  safe  financial  management.  Through  all  its  changes  of 
location,  it  has  been  under  the  instruction  of  learned  and  godly 
men,  who  loved  the  truth  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the 
Church.  And  from  the  beginning  it  has  had  successive  bands 
of  students  who  gave  themselves  earnestly  to  the  work  of  prepa- 
ration while  in  the  Seminary  and  whose  subsequent  ministry 
proved  them  to  be  worthy  ambassadors  of  Jesus  Christ.  These 
several  agencies  combined  and  continued  faithfully  through  all 
the    history— donors,  directors,  agents,  trustees,  professors  and 


49^  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

students — witli  God's  great  blessing,  ha,ve  all  been  working 
together  to  produce  what  we  now  see,  to  build  up,  on  broad 
and  solid  foundations,  an  institution  of  ministerial  education 
worthy  of  the  great  Church  to  which  it  belongs  and  com- 
mensurate with  its  wide  field. 

Of  the  twenty-six  ministers  who  at  different  times  were 
called  by  the  Church  to  fill  the  chairs  of  instruction  as  profes- 
sors in  the  Seminary,  almost  all  had  been  successful  pastors  or 
evangelists  before  their  induction  into  this  responsible  position. 
Seven  of  them  before,  after  or  during  their  connection  with 
the  Seminary,  were  elected  to  the  high  ofifice  of  moderator  of 
the  General  Assembly,  namely:  Dr.  Philip  Lindsley  in  1834, 
Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice  in  1855,  Dr.  Robert  W.  Patterson  in  1859, 
Dr.  James  Wood  in  1864,  Dr.  Francis  L.  Patton  in  1878,  Dr. 
Herrick  Johnson  in  1882,  Dr.  David  C.  Marquis  in  1886.  Of 
these  twenty-six  professors,  seventeen,  either  before  or  after 
being  called  to  this  Seminary,  were  connected  with  other  insti- 
tutions, some  as  presidents  of  colleges  and  some  as  instructors 
in  theological  seminaries  or  colleges.  These  were  Drs.  Linds- 
ley, Wood,  MacMaster,  Thomas,  Green,  Scott,  Rice,  Halsey, 
Lord,  Elliott,  Blackburn,  Patterson,  Patton,  Johnson,  DeWitt, 
Zenos,  Bissell.  Two  of  the  alumni  of  the  institution,  grad- 
uated at  Chicago,  have  been  moderators  of  the  General 
Assembly,  Dr.  David  C.  Marquis  in  1886  and  Dr.  Charles  L. 
Thompson  in  1889. 

The  grand  end  and  object  of  all  Seminary  instruction,  for 
which  indeed  all  these  important  means  and  agencies  are 
employed,  is  preparation  for  that  work  which  is  committed  to 
the  hands  of  the  successive  bands  of  educated  alumni  as  they 
finish  their  three  years'  training  and  go  forth  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  their  fellow  men.  No  language  can  fully  estimate  the 
value,  for  time  and  eternity,  of  this  divinely  appointed  work  of 
preaching  the  gospel.  To  this  work  the  Church  calls  her  sons 
when  they  leave  their  schools  of  sacred  learning.  To  this 
Christ  calls  his  ambassadors  as  they  take  the  office  of  pastor 
and  evangelist  on  the  great  home  field,  or  of  missionary  and 
teacher  on  the  still  wider  foreign  field.  And  this  is  the  work 
now  being  done  over  our  broad  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean, 


1892-1893.  RETROSPECT  AND  CONCLUSION.  499 

and  all  around  the  globe  in  other  lands,  by  the  hundreds  of 
alumni  who  from  this  Seminary  have  gone  forth  at  the  call  of 
God  and  his  Church  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  perishing. 

The  Seminary  stands  to-day,  after  sixty-four  years  of  conse- 
crated effort  and  of  earnest  preparation,  as  one  of  the  true  feeders 
and  exponents  of  this  great  spiritual  work — the  greatest  that  is 
done  beneath  the  sun.  It  is  one  in  which  all  true-hearted  work- 
ers have  borne  an  honorable  part,  whether  in  the  rank  of  donor 
or  director,  trustee  or  solicitor,  teacher  or  student,  home  pastor 
or  foreign  missionary.  With  its  grand  results  already 'accom- 
plished, and  with  still  grander  expectations  for  the  future,  our 
Seminary  stands  to-day  as  one  of  the  great  educational  institu- 
tions of  our  Presbyterian  Church  and  of  our  Christian  country. 
As  we  look  over  the  expanding  nation  to-day  and  over  the 
expanding  Church  within  the  bosom  of  the  nation,  there  is  no 
arrogance  in  saying  that,  of  the  many  evidences  of  wonderful 
growth  and  improvement  which  this  auspicious  centennial  and 
quadricentennial  era  has  brought  to  the  attention  of  our  people, 
the  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  is  far  from  being  the  least 
important  or  the  least  hopeful.  It  is  an  integral  part,  and  that 
not  a  small  one,  of  what  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  great 
Northwest  has  done  for  the  good  of  man,  for  the  true  advance- 
ment of  the  nation  and  for  the  glory  of  God.  As  we  now  close 
the  checkered  history  of  the  past,  having  entered  upon  the  labors 
and  cares  and  aspirations  of  the  second  century  of  our  great 
republic  and  our  historic  Church,  how  grandly  does  the  future 
open  before  us. 

In  these  closing  years  of  our  retrospect,  a  convention  of 
unusual  interest  has  been  held  in  Chicago,  which  may  serve 
to  illustrate  the  progress  made  in  theological  education  and 
in  the  general  growth  of  the  Church  and  country  during  the 
period  embraced  in  'this  history,  especially  during  the  last 
half  of  it.  This  was  the  tenth  annual  convention  of  the  Amer- 
ican Inter-Seminary  Missionary  Alliance,  made  up  of  delegates 
from  all  the  protestant  theological  seminaries  and  ministerial 
training  schools  of  the  United  States.  They  assembled  on 
the  17th  of  October,  1889,  at  the  invitation  of  four  theo- 
logical seminaries  of   the  city  and    its  vicinity,  the  Presbyte- 


500  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

rian.  Congregational,  Baptist  and  Methodist,  these  four  schools 
then  numbering  upwards  of  five  hundred  students.  More 
than  eight  hundred  delegates  were  in  attendance  on  the  con- 
vention, and  the  body  continued  its  sessions  for  several  days, 
discussing  the  calls  of  personal  duty  and  seeking  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Divine  Spirit  on  the  work  of  foreign  missions  and 
the  world's  conversion.  It  was  a  most  impressive  spectacle 
and  it  might  well  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  signs  of  the 
times.  Such  a  meeting  was  significant  of  the  changes  which 
had  come  over  this  young  city  since  its  first  theological  school 
had  been  planted.  It  was  significant,  also,  of  the  vast  progress 
made  by  the  Church  and  the  nation  over  all  our  land  since  this 
Seminary  began  its  work.  Both  retrospectively  and  prospec- 
tively it  was  deeply  significant  of  the  strong  hold  which  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ  has  already  gained  over  the  age  in  which 
we  live  and  is  destined  yet  to  gain  over  the  ages  still  to  come. 
Such  a  convention,  so  suggestive  of  world-wide  influences,  so 
pregnant  with  vast  moral  forces,  was  at  once  a  history  and  a 
prophecy. 


APPENDIX  A. 


PLAN  OF  A  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY   FOR  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH   IN 
THE  WESTERN  STATES,  LOCATED  AT  NEW  ALBANY.  AS  REVISED, 
AMENDED   AND   ADOPTED   IN    OCTOBER.    184O. 

Preamble. 

As  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  the  principal  means  appointed  by  the 
great  Head  of  the  Church  for  the  conversion  and  salvation  of  men.  and  as  it 
is  highly  important,  not  only  that  the  number  of  ministers  be  greatly 
increased,  but  that  they  enjoy  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  education,  thi; 
Synod  of  Indiana,  and  such  other  Western  synods  as  may.  choose  to  co-oper- 
ate with  them,  looking  to  God  for  assistance  and  direction  and  relying  upon 
Him  for  success,  do  hereby  resolve  to  establish  a  Theological  Seminary,  and 
to  employ  all  suitable  efforts  to  sustain  and  build  it  up.  That  it  may  be 
known  distinctly  on  what  principles  the  institution  is  founded,  we  declare  our 
design  to  be  : 

First.  It  is  the  design  of  the  Synod  to  provide  for  the  Church  an  adequate 
supply  of  able  and  faithful  ministers  ;  workmen  that  need  not  be  ashamed, 
rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth  ;  men  who  shall  be  able  to  defend  her 
faith  against  infidels  and  her  doctrine  against  heretics. 

Second.  It  is  to  unite,  in  those  who  sustain  the  ministerial  office,  religion 
and  literature,  that  piety  of  heart  which  is  the  fruit  only  of  the  renewing 
grace  of  God  with  sound  learning. 

Third.  It  is  to  furnish  our  congregations  with  enlightened,  humble,  zeal- 
ous, laborious  pastors,  who  shall  watch  for  the  good  of  souls,  and  consider  it 
their  highest  honor  and  happiness  to  bring  them  to  Christ.  It  is  to  promote 
harmony  and  unity  of  sentiment  among  the  ministers,  by  educating  a  large 
body  of  them  under  the  same  teachers  and  in  the  same  course  of  study. 

Article  I.     Of  the  Synods. 

Sec.  I.  As  this  institution  is  designed  for  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
West,  all  the  synods  of  the  West  in  connection  with  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  irt  the  United  States  that  choose  to  co-operate  in 
its  management  and  support  are  to  be  regarded  as  its  patrons  and  the  foun- 
tain of  its  power. 

Sec.  2.  The  Seminary  shall  be  under  the  control  of  a  Board  of  Directors, 
appointed  by  the  synods  according  to  the  number  of  ministers  belonging  to 
each  synod  respectively.  The  ratio  of  representation  shall  be  one  director 
for  every  four  ministers,  one-half  ministers  and  the  other  half  ruling  elders. 

501 


502  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Sec.  3.  Of  the  number  of  directors  elected  by  each  synod,  one-third 
shall  go  out  of  office  annually,  and  the  synod  may  annually,  when  necessary, 
hll  up  any  vacancies  occasioned  in  the  Board  by  death,  resignation  or  inca- 
pacity to  serve. 

Sec.  4.     Any  of  the  synods  desiring  a  change  in  the  constitution  or  plan 

of  the  Seminary,  not  inconsistent  with  the  general  principles  laid  down  in 

the  preamble,  may  effect  the  same  by  securing  the  vote  of  a  majority  of  the 

synod  in  favor  of  such  change ;  provided  that  no  change  be  made  affecting 

the   articles   of  agreement  entered  into  with  Mr.   Elias  Ayers,  without  his 

consent. 

Article  II.     Of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  I.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  meet  statedly,  once  in  each  year, 
and  oftener  on  their  own  adjournments,  if  they  shall  judge  it  expedient;  any 
seven  of  whom,  meeting  at  a  time  and  place  appointed,  shall  constitute  a 
quorum.  The  stated  meeting  of  the  Board  shall  be  held  at  the  close  of  each 
theological  year. 

Sec.  2.  The  Board  shall  choose  annually  a  president,  vice-president  and 
secretary. 

Sec.  3.  The  president  of  the  Board,  or  in  the  event  of  his  death,  absence 
or  inability  to  act,  the  vice-president  shall,  at  the  request  of  any  three  mem- 
bers, expressed  to  him  in  writing,  call  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Directors,  by  a  circular  letter  addressed  to  them,  in  which  letter  notice  shall 
be  given,  not  only  of  the  place  and  time  of  meeting,  but  of  the  business 
intended  to  be  transacted  at  the  meeting,  and  this  letter  shall  be  sent  at  least 
twenty  days  before  the  time  of  said  meeting. 

Sec.  4.  Every  meeting  of  the  Board  shall  be  opened  and  closed  with 
prayer. 

Sec.  5.  The  Board  may  make  rules  and  regulations  for  the  performance  of 
the  duties  assigned  them,  or  for  the  preservation  of  order,  not  inconsistent 
with  the  principles  of  this  plan. 

Sec.  6.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  of  Directors  to  elect  and  inaug- 
urate the  professors  of  the  Seminary,  and  give  them  such  direction  in  relation 
to  their  several  departments  as  they  may  deem  important ;  and  also  to  fix  the 
salaries  of  the  professors. 

Sec.  7.  Every  director,  previously  to  his  taking  his  seat  as  a  member  of 
the  Board,  shall  solemnly  subscribe  the  following  formula,  viz.:  "  Having  here- 
tofore received  and  adopted  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  catechisms  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  and  approving  the  plan  of  this 
Theological  Seminary,  I  solemnly  declare  and  promise  in  the  presence  of 
God  and  of  this  Board,  that  I  will  faithfully  endeavor  to  carry  into  effect  all 
the  articles  and  provisions  of  said  plan,  and  to  promote  the  great  design  of 
this  institutidn." 

Sec.  8.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  inspect  the  fidelity  of  the  professors, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  doctrines  actually  taught,  and  if,  after  due  inquiry 
and  examination,  they  shall  judge  that  any  professor  is  either  unsound  in  the 
faith,  opposed  to  the  fundamental  principles  ol  Presbyterian  church  govern- 
ment, immoral  in  his  conduct,  unfaithful  to  his  trust,  or  incompetent  to  the 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1840.  503 

discharge  of  his  duties,  they  shall,  after  due  examination  and  inquiry  into  the 
case,  admonish,  reprove  or  dismiss  him  as  in  their  judgment  the  case  may 
require.  Every  such  professor  shall  have  a  candid  and  impartial  hearing 
before  the  decision  of  the  Board  is  given  in  the  case. 

Sec.  9.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  to  watch  over  the  conduct  of  the 
students;  to  redress  grievances  ;  to  examine  into  the  whole  course  of  instruc- 
tion and  study  in  the  Seminary,  and  generally  to  superintend  and  endeavor 
to  promote  all  its  interests. 

Sec.  10.  The  Board,  either  as  a  body  or  by  a  committee  appointed  by 
them  for  that  purpose,  shall  superintend  the  annual  examination  of  the  stu- 
dents, and  make  in  writing  a  detailed  and  faithful  report  of  the  state  of  the 
Seminary  and  of  their  own  doings  to  each  synod  uniting  in  this  plan:  and 
they  may  at  the  same  time  recommend  such  measures  for  the  advantage  of 
the  Seminary  as  to  them  may  appear  proper. 

Sec.  II.  At  every  stated  meeting  of  the  Board,  unless  particular  circum- 
stances render  it  inexpedient,  there  shall  be  at  least  one  sermon  delivered  in 
the  presence  of  the  Board  and  professors  and  an  address  to  the  students  by  a 
director  or  directors  previously  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

Sec.  12.  The  secretary  of  the  Board  shall  keep  accurate  records  of  all  the 
proceedings  of  the  directors,  draw  up  the  annual  reports  to  the  synods,  for 
the  adoption  of  the  Board,  issue  all  circular  letters  from  the  president  or  vice 
president,  if  so  requested,  and  in  the  event  of  the  inability  of  either  of  these 
officers  acting,  he  shall  call  the  special  meeting  of  the  Board,  and  perform  all 
other  duties  imphed  in  the  nature  of  his  office. 

Article  III.     Of  the  Professors. 

Sec.  I.  The  number  of  professors  in  the  Seminary  shall  be  increased  or 
diminished  as  the  Board  of  Directors  may  from  time  to  time  direct.  But 
when  the  Seminary  shall  be  completely  organized  there  shall  not  be  less  than 
three  professors. 

Sec.  2.  No  person  shall  be  inducted  into  the  office  of  professor  of  Divinity 
but  an  ordained  minister  of  the  gospel 

Sec.  3.  Every  person  elected  to  a  professorship  in  this  Seminary  shall,  on 
being  inaugurated,  solemnly  subscribe  the  Confession  of  Faith,  catechisms 
and  Form  of  Government  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  agreeably  to  the  fol- 
lowing formula,  viz.:  "In  the  presence  of  God  and  of  the  directors  of  this 
Seminary,  I  do  solemnly  and  ex  anUno  adopt,  receive  and  subscribe  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  and  catechisms  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America  as  the  confession  of  my  faith,  or  as  a  summary  and  just 
exposition  of  that  system  of  doctrine  and  religious  belief  which  is  contained 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  therein  revealed  by  God  to  man  for  his  salvation ; 
and  I  do  solemnly  ex  animo  profess  to  receive  the  Form  of  Government  of  the 
said  Church  as  agreeable  to  the  inspired  oracles.  And  I  do  solemnly  promise 
and  engage  not  to  inculcate,  teach  or  insinuate  anything  which  shall  contra- 
dict or  contravene,  either  directly  or  impliedly,  anything  taught  in  the  said 
Confession  of  Faith  or  catechisms,  nor  to  oppose  any  of  the  fundamental 


504  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

principles  of  Presbyterian  church  government,  while  I  shall  continue  a  pro- 
fessor in  this  Seminary." 

Sec.  4.  Each  professor,  if  required,  shall  lay  before  the  Board  of  Directors 
a  detailed  exhibition  of  the  system  and  method  which  he  proposes  to  discuss 
in  conducting  the  studies  of  his  class;  he  may  make  such  additions  or  altera- 
tions in  this  system  as  may  be  deemed  important,  provided  the  whole  course 
of  study  shall  be  such  as  the  Board  will  approve. 

Sec.  5.  Any  professor,  intending  to  resign  his  office,  shall  give  six  months' 
notice  of  such  intention  to  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  6.  The  professors  of  the  institution  shall  be  considered  as  a  faculty. 
They  shall  meet  at  such  seasons  as  they  may  judge  proper.  In  every  meeting 
the  oldest  member  shall  preside,  or  in  his  absence,  one  shall  be  appointed /r^ 
tempore.  The  faculty  shall  choose  a  clerk  and  keep  accurate  records  of  all 
their  proceedings,,  which  records  shall  be  laid  before  the  directors  at  every 
stated  meeting  of  the  Board.  The  president  of  the  faculty  shall  call  a  meeting 
whenever  he  shall  judge  it  expedient,  and  whenever  he  shall  be  requested  to 
do  so  by  any  other  member.  By  the  faculty  regularly  convened  shall  be 
determined  the  hours  and  seasons  at  which  the  classes  shall  attend  the  pro- 
fessors severally,  so  as  to  prevent  interference  and  confusion  and  to  afford  to 
the  pupils  the  best  opportunity  of  improvement.  The  faculty  shall  attend  to 
and  decide  on  all  cases  of  discipline  and  all  questions  of  order,  as  they  shall 
arise.  They  shall  agree  on  the  rules  of  order,  decorum  and  duty  (not 
inconsistent  with  any  provision  in  the  plan  of  the  Seminary,  nor  with  any 
order  of  the  Board  of  Directors)  to  which  the  students  shall  be  subjected; 
and  these  they  shall  reduce  to  writing  and  cause  to  be  publicly  read  at  the 
commencement  of  each  session.  They  shall  determine  the  hours  at  which  the 
whole  of  the  pupils  shall,  morning  and  evening,  attend  for  social  worship,  and 
the  manner  in  which  and  the  person  or  persons  of  their  own  number  by  whom 
the  exercises  of  devotion  shall  be  conducted. 

Sec.  7.  The  faculty  shall  be  empowered  to  dismiss  from  the  Seminary  any 
student  who  shall  prove  unsound  in  his  religious  sentiments,  immoral  or  dis- 
orderly in  his  conduct,  or  who  maybe,  in  their  opinion,  on  any  account  what- 
soever, a  dangerous  or  unprofitable  member  of  the  institution. 

Sec.  8.    Each  member  of  the  faculty  shall  have  an  equal  vote. 

Sec.  9.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  professors,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  to  supply  the  pupils  of  the  institution  with  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  and  the  administration  of  the  sacraments  of  the  Christian 
Church,  if  this  supply  shall  not,  in  the  judgment  of  the  directors,  be  satis- 
factorily furnished  by  a  church  or  churches  in  the  place  where  the  institution 
shall  be  established. 

Sec.  10.  The  faculty  shall  determine  the  time  and  manner  of  all  the 
public  e.xhibitions  of  the  students,  subject  to  the  direction  of  the  Board. 

Sec.  II.  The  professors  may  accompany  their  lectures  and  recitations 
with  prayer  as  frequently  as  they  may  judge  proper,  in  addition  to  those  daily 
seasons  of  prayer  m  which  all  the  students  will  unite. 

Sec.  12.  At  the  opening  of  each  session  an  introductory  lecture  shall  be 
delivered  to  the  students  by  one  of  the  professors. 


COXSTITUTIOX  OF  1S40.  505 

The  faculty  shall  also  keep  a  register,  in  which  the  name,  residence  and 
college  at  which  each  student  has  graduated  shall  be  regularly  entered. 

Article  IV.     Of  Study  and  Attainments. 

As  the  particular  course  of  study  pursued  in  any  institution  will,  and  per- 
haps ought  to,  be  modified  in  a  considerable  degree  by  the  views  and  habits 
of  the  teachers,  and  ought  moreover  to  be  varied,  altered  or  extended  as 
experience  may  suggest  improvements,  it  is  judged  proper  to  specify  not  so 
precisely  the  course  of  study  as  the  attainments  which  must  be  made;  there- 
fore : 

Sec.  I.  Every  student  at  the  close  of  his  course  must  have  made  the 
following  attainments,  viz.:  He  must  be  well  skilled  in  the  original  languages; 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  He  must  be  able  to  explain  the  principal  difficulties 
which  arise  in  the  perusal  of  the  Scriptures  either  from  erroneous  translations, 
apparent  inconsistencies,  real  obscurities  or  objections  arising  from  history, 
reason  or  argument.  He  must  be  versed  in  Jewish  and  Christian  antiquities, 
which  serve  to  explain  and  illustrate  Scripture.  He  must  have  an  acquaint- 
ance with  ancient  geographv  and  with  oriental  customs,  which  throw  light 
on  the  sacred  records.  Thus  he  will  have  laid  the  foundation  for  becoming  a 
sound  Biblical  critic. 

He  must  have  read  and  adjusted  the  principal  arguments  and  writings 
relative  to  what  has  been  called  the  deistical  controversy.  Thus  will  he  be 
qualihed  to  become  a  defender  of  the  Christian  faith. 

He  must  be  able  to  support  the  doctrines  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  and 
catechisms,  by  a  ready,  pertinent  and  abundant  quotation  of  Scripture  texts 
for  that  puipose.  He  must  have  studied  carefully  and  correctly,  natural, 
didactic,  polemic  and  casuistic  theology.  He  must  have  considerable  ac- 
quaintance with  general  history  and  chronology,  and  a  particular  acquaint- 
ance with  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church.  Thus  he  will  be  preparing  to 
become  an  able  and  sound  divine  and  casuist. 

He  must  have  read  a  considerable  number  of  the  best  practical  writers  on 
the  subject  of  religion.  He  must  have  learned  to  compose  with  correctness 
and  readiness  in  his  own  language,  and  to  deliver  what  he  has  composed  to 
others  in  a  natural  and  acceptable  manner.  He  must  be  well  acquainted 
with  the  several  parts  and  the  proper  structure  of  popular  lectures  and  ser- 
mons. He  must  have  composed  at  least  two  lectures  and  four  popular 
sermons,  that  shall  have  been  approved  by  the  professors.  He  must  have 
carefully  studied  the  duties  of  the  pastoral  care.  Thus  he  will  be  prepared  to 
become  a  useful  preacher  and  a  faithful  pasior. 

He  must  have  studied  attentively  the  form  of  church  government  author- 
ized by  the  Scriptures,  and  the  administration  of  it  as  it  has  taken  place 
in  Protestant  churches.  Thus  he  will  be  qualified  to  exercise  discipline  and 
to  take  part  in  the  government  of  the  Church  in  all  its  judicatories. 

Sec.  2.  The  period  of  continuing  in  the  Theological  Seminary  shall  in  no 
case  be  less  than  three  years,  previously  to  an  examination  for  a  certificate  of 
approbation.  But  students  may  enter  the  Seminary  and  enjoy  the  course  of 
instruction  for  a  shorter  time  than  three  years,  provided  they  in  all  other 


5o6  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

respects  submit  to  the  laws  of  the  Seminary,  of  which  facts  they  may  receive 
a  written  declaration  from  the  professors. 

Sec.  3.  Those  pupils  who  have  regularly  and  diligently  studied  for  three 
years  shall  be  admitted  to  examination  on  the  subjects  specified  in  this  arti- 
cle. The  examination  shall  be  conducted  by  the  professors,  in  the  presence 
of  the  Board  of  Directors,  or  a  committee  of  them ;  and  if  it  be  passed  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  directors,  they  who  so  pass  it  shall  receive  a  certificate  of 
the  same  signed  by  the  professors,  with  which  they  shall  be  remitted  to  their 
several  presbyteries  to  be  disposed  of  as  such  presbyteries  shall  direct. 

Sec.  4.  It  shall  be  the  object  of  the  professors  to  make  such  arrange- 
ments in  the  instruction  of  their  pupils  as  shall  be  best  adapted  to  enable 
them,  in  the  space  of  three  years,  to  be  examined  with  advantage  on  the  sub- 
jects specified  in  this  article. 

Article  V.     Of  Devotion  and  Improvement  in  Practical  Piety. 

It  ought  to  be  considered  as  an  object  of  primary  importance  by  every 
student  in  the  Seminary,  to  be  careful  and  vigilant  not  to  lose  that  inward 
sense  of  the  power  of  godliness  which  he  may  have  attained  ;  but  on  the  con- 
trary to  grow  continually  in  the  spirit  of  enlightened  devotion  and  fervent 
piety,  deeply  impressed  with  the  recollection  that  without  this  all  his  acquisi- 
tions will  be  comparatively  of  little  worth  either  to  himself  or  to  the  church 
of  which  he  is  to  be  a  minister.  He  must  remember,  too,  that  this  is  a 
species  of  improvement  which  must  of  necessity  be  left,  in  a  great  measure, 
with  himself,  as  a  concern  between  God  and  his  own  soul.  It  is  proper, 
however,  to  delineate  the  path  of  duty,  to  express  the  wishes  and  expecta- 
tions of  the  founders  of  the  Seminary  and  to  make  such  requirements  as  the 
nature  of  the  subject  will  permit. 

Sec.  I.  It  is  expected  that  every  student  in  the  Theological  Seminary 
will  spend  a  portion  of  time  every  morning  and  evening  in  devout  meditation 
and  self-recollection  and  examination  ;  in  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures,  solely 
with  a  view  to  a  personal  and  practical  application  of  the  passage  read  to  his 
own  heart,  character  and  circumstances;  and  in  humble,  fervent  prayer  and 
praise  to  God  in  secret.  The  whole  of  every  Lord's  Day  is  to  be  devoted  to 
devotional  exercises,  either  of  a  social  or  secret  kind.  Intellectual  pursuits 
not  immediately  connected  with  devotion  or  the  religion  of  the  heart  are  on 
that  day  to  be  forborne.  The  books  to  be  read  are  of  a  practical  nature.  The 
conversations  had  with  each  other  are  to  be  chiefly  on  religious  subjects. 
Associations  for  prayer  and  praise  and  for  religious  conference,  calculated  to 
promote  a  growth  in  grace,  are  also  proper  for  this  day,  subject  to  such  regula- 
tions as  the  professors  and  directors  may  see  proper  to  prescribe.  It  is  wished 
and  recommended  that  each  student  should  ordinarily  set  apart  one  day  in  a 
month  for  special  prayer  and  self-examination  in  secret,  and  also  that  he 
should,  on  suitable  occasions,  attend  to  the  duty  of  fasting. 

Sec.  2.  If  any  student  shall  exhibit  in  his  general  deportment  a  levity  or 
indifference  in  regard  to  practical  rehgion,  though  it  does  not  amount  .to  any 
overt  act  of  irreligion  or  immorality,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  professor  who 
may  observe  it  to  admonish  him   tenderly  and   faithfully  in  private  and 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1840.  5.07 

endeavor  to  engage  him  to  a  more  holy  temper  and  a  more  exemplary  deport- 
ment. 

Sec.  3.  If  a  student  after  due  admonition  persist  in  a  system  of  conduct 
not  exemplary  in  regard  to  religion,  he  shall  be  dismissed  from  the  Semi- 
nary. 

Sec.  4.  The  professors  are  particularly  charged,  by  all  the  proper  means 
in  their  power,  to  encourage,  cherish  and  promote  devotional  and  personal 
piety  among  their  pupils,  by  warning  and  guarding  them  on  the  one  hand 
against  formality  and  indifference,  and  on  the  other  against  ostentation  and 
enthusiasm,  by  inculcating  practical  religion  in  their  lectures  and  recrea- 
tions; by, taking  suitable  occasions  to  converse  with  their  pupils  privately  on 
this  interesting  subject,  and  by  all  other  means,  incapable  of  being  minutely 
specified,  by  which  they  may  foster  true  experimental  religion  and  unre- 
served devotedness  to  God. 

Article  VI.     Of  the  Students. 

Sec.  I.  Every  student  applying  for  admission  to  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary shall  produce  satisfactory  testimonials  that  he  possesses  good  natural 
talents,  and  is  of  prudent  and  discreet  deportment  ;  that  he  is  in  full  com- 
munion in  some  regular  church  ;  that  he  has  passed  through  a  regular  course 
of  academical  study,  or  wanting  this,  he  shall  submit  himself  to  an  examina- 
tion in  regard  to  the  branches  of  literature  taught  in  such  a  course. 

Sec.  2.  The  hours  of  study  and  recreation  for  the  students  shall  be  fixed 
by  the  professors,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  directors,  and  every  student 
shall  pay  a  strict  regard  to  the  rules  established  relative  to  this  subject. 

Sec.  3.  Every  student  shall  be  obliged  to  write  on  such  theological  and 
other  subjects  as  may  be  prescribed  to  him  by  the  professors  once  a  month, 
and  also  shall  commit  to  memory  a  piece  of  his  own  composition,  and  pro- 
nounce it  in  public  before  the  professors  and  students. 

Sec.  4.  Every  student  shall  yield  a  prompt  and  ready  obedience  to  all 
the  lawful  requisitions  of  the  professors  and  directors. 

Sec.  5.  Diligence  and  industry  in  study  shall  be  considered  as  indispen- 
sable in  every  student,  unless  the  want  of  health  shall  prevent,  of  which  the 
professors  shall  take  cognizance  and  make  the  suitable  allowance. 

Sec.  6.  Every  student  before  he  takes  his  standing  in  the  Seminary 
shall  subscribe  the  following  declaration,  viz.:  "Deeply  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  the  importance  of  improving  in  knowledge,  prudence  and  piety 
in  my  preparation  for  the  gospel  ministry,  I  solemnly  promise,  in  a  reliance 
on  divine  grace,  that  I  will  faithfully  and  diligently  attend  on  all  the  in- 
structions of  this  Seminary,  and  I  will  conscientiously  and  vigilantly  observe 
all  the  rules  and  regulations  specified  in  the  plan  of  its  instruction  and 
government,  so  far  as  the  same  relate  to  the  students,  and  that  I  will  obey 
all  the  lawful  requisitions  and  readily  yield  to  all  the  wholesome  admonitions 
of  the  professors  and  directors  of  the  Seminary  while  I  shall  continue  a  mem- 
ber of  it." 

Sec.  7.  There  shall  be  in  each  year  one  session,  which  shall  continue 
eight  months,  followed  by  a  vacation  of  four  months. 


508  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Article  VII.     Of  the  Library. 

Sec.  I.  To  obtain  ultimately  a  complete  theological  library  shall  be  con- 
sidered a  leading  object  of  the  institution. 

Sec.  2.  A  suitable  room  or  apartment  shall  be  assigned  for  the  library. 
The  shelves  for  the  books  shall  be  divided  into  compartments  or  alcoves,  and 
if  any  of  them  be  filled  or  nearly  so  by  a  donor,  his  name  shall  be  conspicu- 
ously placed  over  it. 

Sec  3.   A  librarian  shall  be  appointed  by  the  faculty. 

Sec.  4.  No  book  shall  be  permitted  on  any  occasion  to  be  carried  from  the 
Seminary. 

Sec.  5.  A  book  of  donations  shall  be  carefully  kept  by  the  librarian,  in 
which  shall  be  entered  by  him  the  books  given  to  the  library,  the  time  when 
and  the  name  of  the  donor. 

Sec.  6.  Regulations  for  the  use  of  the  library,  not  inconsistent  with  the 
provisions  of  this  article,  shall  be  detailed  in  a  system  of  by-laws  for  that  pur- 
pose to  be  drawn  up  by  the  faculty  and  occasionally  modified  and  added  to  as 
circumstances  shall  require  ;  which  regulations,  after  being  ratified  by  the 
Board  of  Directors,  shall  be  authoritative. 

Article  VIII.     Of  the  Treasurer  and  Funds. 

Sec.  I.  The  treasurer  shall  be  chosen  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  but  in 
this  election  they  are  not  restricted  to  one  of  their  own  number.  He  may  be 
required  to  give  a  bond  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  trust  committed  to 
him. 

Sec.  2.  The  funds  of  the  institution  shall  be  deposited  in  the  hands  of 
such  corporation,  or  disposed  of  for  safe  keeping  ana  improvement  in  such 
other  manner  as  the  Board  of  Directors  shall  direct. 

Sec.  3.  The  faculty  may  from  time  to  time,  as  they  may  see  proper,  lay 
before  the  Board  plans  for  the  improvement  of  the  funds,  and  propositions 
for  the  appropriation  of  such  sums  as  they  may  think  necessary  for  particular 
purposes. 

Sec.  4.  No  money  shall  at  any  time  be  drawn  from  the  funds  but  by  an 
appropriation  and  order  of  the  Board,  or  a  committee  appointed  with  this 
power. 

Sec.  5.  The  treasurer  shall  annually  lay  before  the  Board  of  Directors  a 
f.iir  statement  of  the  amount  of  funds  belonging  to  the  Seminary,  of  the  items 
which  constitute  that  amount,  and  of  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the 
year,  specifying  in  each  case  the  sources  whence  the  amount  came  and  the 
purposes  for  which  it  was  paid  out.  He  shall  also  submit  his  books  and 
accounts  with  proper  vouchers  to  the  Board,  which  shall  be  audited  by  a  com- 
mittee. He  shall  also  make  to  the  Board  a  statement  of  what  he  supposes 
to  be  needed  for  the  coming  year. 

Sec.  6.  The  intention  and  direction  of  testators  or  donors  in  regard  to 
moneys  or  other  property  left  or  given  to  the  Seminary  shall  at  all  times  be 
sacredly  regarded.  And  if  any  individual  or  number  of  individuals  not 
greater  than  three  shall  by  will  or  during  his  life   or  their  lives  found  or 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1840.  509 

endow  a  professorship  or  professorships,  a  scholarship  or  scholarships,  or  a 
fund  or  funds  destined  to  special  purposes,  said  professorships,  scholarships 
or  funds  shall  forever  afterwards  be  called  and  known  by  the  name  or  names 
of  those  who  founded  or  endowed  them. 

Sec.  7.  After  supporting  the  professors  and  defraying  the  other  necessary 
charges  of  the  Seminary,  the  funds  shall  be  applied,  as  far  as  circumstances 
will  admit,  to  defray  or  diminish  the  expenses  of  those  students  who  may 
need  pecuniary  aid,  as  well  as  to  lessen  generally  the  expenses  of  a  residence 
at  the  Seminary. 


APPENDIX  B. 


LEGAL    CHARTER    INCORPORATING    THE    BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES    OF     NEW 

ALBANY  THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY,    GRANTED   BY  THE   LEGISLATURE 

OF     THE     STATE     OF     INDIAN^,     JANUARY     29TH,     1842. 

Whereas  it  is  represented  to  this  General  Assembly  that  the  ministers  and 
elders  of  the  Synod  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  State  of  Indiana,  asso- 
ciated with  the  ministers  and  elders  of  divers  other  synods  of  said  Church  in 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  have  resolved  to  establish,  and  in  fact  have  now 
in  operation  in  the  City  of  New  Albany,  a  theological  seminary  for  the  pur- 
pose of  educating  young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry  ;  and  from  the  scattered 
situation  of  such  ministers  and  elders,  and  from  other  causes,  they  find  it  very 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  manage  the  property  and  funds  which  have 
accrued,  or  which  hereafter  may  accrue  to  said  Seminary,  by  donation  or 
otherwise,  in  a  way  best  calculated  to  effect  the  object  of  its  benevolent 
patrons :  Therefore, 

Sec.  I.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Indiana, 
that  Charles  Woodruff,  William  Plumer,  John  Bushnell,  James  Wood,  Syl- 
vester Scovel,  Mason  C.  Fitch,  Pleasant  S.  Shields,  Henry  B.  Shields  and 
William  A.  Scribner,  and  their  successors  in  office,  be  and  they  are  hereby 
made  and  constituted  a  body  politic  and  corporate,  in  law  and  in  fact,  to 
have  continuance  forever  by  the  name  and  style  of  the  Trustees  of  the  New 
Albany  Theological  Seminary,  and  by  the  name  and  style  aforesaid,  shall  be 
able  and  capable  in  law  to  sue  and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded  in  any 
court,  or  before  any  judge  or  justice,  in  all  and  all  manner  of  suits,  pleas  or 
complaints,  of  whatsoever  nature  or  form  they  may  be. 

Sec.  2.  The  Board  of  Directors  of  said  Seminary,  chosen  by  the  synods 
aforesaid,  in  accordance  with  the  plaij  of  union  adopted  by  them,  as  it  now 
exists,  or  as  it  may  by  amendments  hereafter  exist,  shall  have  the  power,  in 
their  discretion,  at  any  regular  meeting  of  their  Board,  in  each  and  every  year, 
annually  to  change  one- third  of  said  trustees  by  the  appointment  of  others,  as 
also  to  fill  all  vacancies  which  may  occur  ;  but  the  said  trustees  shall  hold 
their  offices  until  their  "successors  are  appointed. 

Sec.  3.  The  said  corporation  and  their  successors  shall  be  capable  and 
able  to  have,  receive,  take,  hold  and  enjoy,  any  lands,  tenements  or  heredi- 
taments, moneys  or  goods  and  chattels,  by  the  gift,  grant,  bargain,  sale, 
release,  devise  or  bequest  of  any  person  or  persons,  bodies  politic  or  cor- 
porate, to  be  laid  out  and  disposed  of,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  said 
Seminary,  agreeably  to  the  intention  of  the  donors;  piwvidccl  ihr.i  tl.c  real 

510 


CHARTER  OF  1842.  511 

estate  held  at  any  one  time  by  this  corporation,  exclusive  of  that  which  is 
necessary  for  its  academic  buildings  and  the  domiciles  of  its  officers,  shall  not 
exceed,  m  yearly  value,  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars. 

Sec.  4.  That  no  misnomer  of  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors 
shall  defeat  or  annul  any  gift,  grant,  devise  or  bequest,  to  or  from  said 
corporation,  provided  the  intention  of  the  party  or  parties  shall  sufficiently 
appear  upon  the  face  of  the  gift,  will,  grant  or  other  writing  whereby  any 
estate  or  interest  was  intended  to  pass  to  or  from  said  corporation. 

Sec.  5.  The  said  corporation  and  their  successors  shall  have  full  power 
and  authority  to  make  and  use  one  common  seal  with  such  device  and 
inscription  as  they  shall  think  fit  and  proper,  and  the  same  to  break,  alter  and 
renew  at  their  pleasure  ;  and  until  an  engraved  seal  shall  be  procured,  a 
scroll  or  wafer  seal,  used  in  its  stead,  shall  be  equally  binding  and 
obligatory. 

Sec.  6.  The  said  corporation  and  their  successors  are  hereby  authorized 
and  empowered  to  appoint  its  own  officers,  and  to  make,  ordain  and  establish 
such  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations  for  its  own  government  and  management 
of  the  pecuniary  concerns  of  said  Seminary  as  they  shall  think  propel:,  pro- 
vided that  the  same  be  not  repugnant  to  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the 
United  States,  to  the  constitution  and  laws  of  this  state,  or  the  plan  of 
union  of  the  synods  as  aforesaid,  as  the  same  now  exists  or  as  by  amend- 
ment it  may  hereafter  exist. 

Sec.  7.  This  act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and  after  its 
passage,  and  be  subject  to  amendment  or  repeal  at  the  pleasure  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Indiana. 

Approved  January  29,  1842. 


APPENDIX  C. 


THE  CONSTITUTION  OF    THE    PRESBYTERIAN  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  OF 
THE   NORTHWEST,    UNDER   THE    CARE   OF  THE  SYNODS  OF   CINCIN- 
NATI,  INDIANA,  NORTHERN   INDIANA,    ILLINOIS,    CHICAGO, 
WISCONSIN  AND  IOWA. 

Adopted   in   1856. 

Whereas  the  Synods  of  Indiana,  Northern  Indiana  and  Cincinnati  have 
now  in  operation  in  New  Albany,  Indiana,  a  Theological  Seminary  for  the 
education  of  the  sons  of  the  Church  for  the  gospel  ministry  ;  and  whereas  it  is 
desirable  for  the  more  perfect  attainment  of  this  end  that  other  synods  be 
united  with  these  in  the  support  and  direction  thereof;  Therefore  we,  the 
Synods  of  Cincinnati,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Illinois,  Northern  Indiana,  Chicago 
and  Indiana,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America, 
do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitution  of  the  said  Seminary. 

Article  I. 

Sec.  I.  The  name  of  the  institution  shall  be  The  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

Sec.  2.  The  objects  of  the  Seminary  shall  be  to  instruct  candidates  for 
the  gospel  ministry  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God  contained  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  the  only  supreme  and  infallible 
rule  of  faith  and  life,  and  of  the  doctrine,  order  and  institutes  of  worship 
taught  in  the  Scriptures  and  summarily  exhibited  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States;  to  cherish  in  them  by  all  the 
means  of  divine  appointment  the  life  of  true  godliness;  to  cultivate  in  them 
the  gifts  which  Christ,  the  Head  of  the  Church,  by  his  Spirit  confers  upon 
those  whom  he  calls  to  his  ministry;  and  to  impart  to  them  as  far  as  may  be 
the  various  learning  by  which  they  may  be  furnished  for  its  work;  to  the  end 
that  there  may  be  trained  up  a  succession  of  able,  faithful  and  godly  minis- 
ters of  the  divine  Word,  as  the  chief  agency  under  God  ordained  in  the 
Church  for  the  gathering  and  perfecting  of  the  saints  in  this  life  to  the  end  of 

the  world. 

Article  2. 

Sec.  I.  All  powers  necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  objects  for 
which  the  Seminary  is  established  shall  be  and  remain  in  the  synods  united  in 
the  establishment  of  this  constitution  and  such  other  synods  as  shall  become, 
and  continue  to  be  united  with  them  in  conformity  to  section  second  of  this 
article. 

512 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1856.  513 

Sec.  2.  Any  synod  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  may  be  admitted  into  this 
union  by  the  consent  of  two-thirds  of  the  synods  estabhshing  this  constitution 
and  of  such  other  synods  as  may  at  the  time  be  included  in  the  union;  and 
such  synods  when  so  admitted  shall  have  all  the  rights  and  immunities 
belonging  to  any  one  of  the  original  synods. 

Sec.  3.  The  synods  shall  have  power  to  amend,  alter,  add  to  or  abrogate 
any  part  or  parts  of  this  constitution  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  synods  at 
the  time  included  in  the  union;  provided  that  such  change  shall  not  be  incon- 
sistent with  the  constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  or  the  fundamental 
principles  on  which  the  Seminary  is  founded. 

Sec.  4.  The  synods  shall  appoint  a  Board  of  Directors  composed  as  nearly 
as  may  be  of  an  equal  number  of  ministers  and  ruling  elders  in  regular  stand- 
ing in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  whom  shall  be  committed  the  general 
superintendence  and  direction  of  the  institution,  subject  to  the  instructions  of 
the  synods,  and  in  conformity  to  article  3  of  this  constitution.  The  members 
of  the  Board  shall  be  appointed  in  the  manner  following,  to- wit:  Each  synod 
shall  appoint  a  number  of  directors  equal  to  the  number  of  presbyteries  under 
its  jurisdiction;  the  term  of  office  of  each  director  shall  be  one  year  from  the 
time  of  his  election  and  until  his  successor  be  appointed,  appear  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Board  and  be  duly  qualified,  but  any  synod  may  at  its  discretion 
remove  or  supersede  any  director  appointed  by  it,  and  may  fill  any  vacancy 
for  any  unexpired  portion  of  the  term  of  office  of  any  director.  The  certifi- 
cates of  the  stated  clerks  of  the  synods  shall  be  respectively  the  credentials  of 
the  appointment  of  directors. 

Sec.  5.  The  synods  shall  be  the  ultimate  court  of  appeals  in  all  cases  of 
the  trial  of  any  officer  of  the  Seminary,  or  of  any  controversy  arising  in  the 
Board  of  Directors  or  among  the  professors  of  the  Seminary,  and  shall  have 
power  of  its  own  motion  to  review  and  to  confirm,  reverse  or  modify  any  deci- 
sion or  action  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  6.  All  questions  requiring  the  joint  action  of  the  synods  shall  be 
decided  by  a  majority  of  the  synods ;  provided  that  no  question  concerning 
the  dissolution,  discontinuance  or  suspension  of  the  Seminary,  the  change  of 
its  location  or  any  alteration  in  its  constitution  shall  be  determined  in  the 
affirmative  except  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  synods  included  in  the 
union. 

Sec.  7.  Any  synod  may  withdraw  from  this  union  upon  giving  notice  of 
such  withdrawal  to  the  other  synods.  Any  synod  which  shall  by  itself,  or  in 
concurrence  with  any  other  party  or  parties,  establish  or  carry  on  any  other 
theological  seminary  shall,  ipso  facto,  cease  to  be  included  in  this  union;  and 
any  synod  in  either  of  these  ways  ceasing  to  be  so  included  shall  forfeit  all 
right  in  the  Seminary  or  its  property. 


Sec.  I.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  meet  once  in  every  year  at  the  place 
where  the  Seminary  is  located,  and  such  meeting  shall  be  on  the  Wednesday 
immediately  preceding  the  close  of  the  Seminary  year,  unless  the  Board  shall 
appoint  another  time;  and  the  Board  may  meet  at  otlier  times  and  places  on 


514  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

its  own  adjournment;  and  on  extraordinary  occasions  by  the  call  of  the  presi- 
dent or  other  officer  having  power  to  convene  it. 

Sec.  2.  Any  seven  directors  being  met  at  the  time  and  place  appointed 
shall  constitute  a  quorum  to  do  business,  provided  they  shall  be  of  not  less 
than  two  different  synods.  Any  two  directors  so  met  may  adjourn  from  time 
to  time  until  a  quorum  shall  be  present. 

Sec.  3.  1st,  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  choose  annually  from  their  own 
members  a  president,  vice-president  and  a  secretary,  who  shall  hold  their 
offices  from  the  time  of  their  election  till  the  next  annual  meeting,  and  until 
their  successors  shall  be  duly  appointed. 

2nd.  The  president,  or  in  case  of  his  absence  the  vice  president,  shall  pre- 
side at  all  meetings  of  the  Board  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  naturally 
belong  to  his  office  and  ^s  the  Board  shall  appoint.  He  may  convene,  and 
when  requested  by  any  seven  members  being  of  not  less  than  two  different 
synods  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  convene  the  Board;  and  of  the  time  and  place 
of  such  special  meeting,  and  the  business  for  which  it  is  called,  he  shall  send 
a  written  notice  by  mail,  or  otherwise,  not  less  than  twenty  days  before  the 
time  of  such  meeting. 

3rd.  The  secretary  shall  keep  a  full  and  true  record  of  the  transactions  of 
the  Board,  and  shall  keep  all  books  of  records  and  papers,  and  perform  such 
other  duties  as  the  Board  shall  direct. 

4th.  In  the  absence  of  any  officer  the  Board  may  appoint  some  other  per- 
son to  fill  his  place /r^  tempore. 

5th.  Every  director  before  taking  his  seat  as  a  member  shall  subscribe 
the  followmg  engagement  m  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose  :  "  I  do  solemnly 
promise,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of  this  Board,  that  I  will  faithfully  exe- 
cute the  office  of  director  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  and  will  support  its  constitution  and  the  constitution  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  so  long  as  I  remain  m  this  office." 

6th.  The  Board  may  make  rules  of  order  and  by-laws  not  inconsistent 
with  this  constitution. 

7th.     The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  power,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty  : 

ist.  To  establish  and  endow  in  the  Seminary  all  such  professorships  as  it 
may  deem  to  be  necessary  and  proper,  and  to  assign  to  these  their  respective 
departments  of  instruction. 

2nd.  To  appoint  and  induct  into  office  all  professors  and  other  instruc- 
tors; to  judge  of  their  competency  and  fidelity  in  the  discharge  of  their  trust, 
especially  in  regard  to  the  doctrines  taught  ;  and  in  case  any  professor  or  in- 
structor be  found  to  be  unsound  in  the  faith,  teaching  directly  or  indirectly 
anything  contrary  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  or  catechisms  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  or  the  fundamental  principles  of  Presbyterian  church 
government,  immoral  or  irreligious  in  life,  or  otherwise  incompetent  or 
unfaithful,  to  admonish,  suspend  or  remove  from  office  such  professor  or 
instructor,  provided  that  the  Board  shall  act  in  any  such  case  only  upon 
full  and  fair  inquiry,  affording  to  such  professor  or  instructor  opportunity 
to  be  fully  heard  in  his  own  defense,  for  sufficient  cause,  with  scrupulous 
regard  to  his  good  name   and  other  rights,  and  to  the  true  objects  of  the 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1856.  515 

Seminary,  and  with  special  solemn  prayer  to  God  for  divine  direction  in  this 
business. 

3rd.  To  superintend  either  by  itself  or  by  a  committee  the  annual  exami- 
nations of  the  students,  and  to  appoint  such  other  services  in  connection 
therewith  as  it  may  deem  proper. 

4th.  To  provide  all  funds,  buildings,  libraries  and  other  means  necessary 
and  proper  for  the  use  of  the  Seminary;  to  appoint  a  Board  of  Trustees 
and  fill  all  vacancies  therein,  and  to  instruct  and  direct  the  said  Board  in 
respect  to  the  investment,  custody,  management  and  disposal  of  all  funds 
and  property  of  the  institution  ;  to  fix  the  salaries  of  professors  and  other 
officers,  and  by  itself,  or  the  Board  of  Trustees,  to  make  all  appropriations  of 
moneys. 

5th.  To  make  annually  to  each  synod  united  in  the  direction  of  the  Semi- 
nary, in  writing,  a  full  and  faithful  report  of  the  whole  state  of  the  Seminary, 
and  of  the  transactions  of  the  Board,  and  to  recommend  such  measures 
as  shall  appear  to  be  proper  for  its  benefit. 

Sec.  4.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  hold  its  first  meeting  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  Illmois,  on  the  seventh  day  of  November,  1856,  at  nine  o'clock, 
a.  m.  Afterwards  the  Board  shall  meet  on  its  own  adjournments,  and  in 
conformity  to  the  provisions  of  the  first  and  second  sections  of  this  article. 

Sec.  5.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  power,  on  or  before  the  first  day 
of  October,  1857,  to  determine  the  place  where  the  Seminary  shall  be 
located  ;  and  if  the  Seminary  be  removed  from  New  Albany,  to  provide  by 
purchase  or  otherwise  suitable  grounds  and  buildings  and  furnish  the  same; 
and  to  take  all  measures  necessary  and  proper  to  put  the  Seminary  in  opera- 
tion at  the  earliest  date  practicable. 

Article  4. 

Sec.  I.  1st.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  any  professorship  in  the  Semi- 
nary except  a  member  in  full  communion  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  ;  and 
no  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  professor  of  Theology  except  a  regu- 
larly ordained  minister  in  that  church. 

2nd.  Every  professor,  before  he  enters  upon  the  execution  of  his  office, 
shall  subscribe  the  following  engagement,  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose, 
namely  :  ''  In  the  presence  of  God  and  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  this  Semi- 
nary I  do  solemnly  profess  my  belief  that  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  cate- 
chisms of  the  Presbyterian  Church  contain  a  summary  and  true  exhibition  of 
the  system  of  doctrine,  order  and  worship  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the 
only  supreme  and  infallible  rule  of  faith,  and  my  approbation  of  the  form  of 
Presbyterian  church  government  as  being  agreeable  to  the  Scriptures ;  and 
do  promise  that  I  will  not  teach  directly  or  indirectly  anything  contrary  to  or 
inconsistent  with  the  said  Confession  and  catechisms,  or  the  fundamental 
principles  of  Presbyterian  church  government,  and  that  I  will  faithfully  exe- 
cute the  office  of  a  professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest." 

Sec.  2.  1st.  Each  professor  shall  have  power  to  conduct  the  course  of 
instruction  in  the  studies  assigned  to  his  department,  to  preserve  order  and 


5i6  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

due  attention  therein,  and  to  appoint  such  exercises  of  rehgious  worship  in 
connection  therewith  as  he  may  deem  proper. 

2nd.  Each  professor,' if  required,  shall  lay  before  the  Board  of  Directors  a 
true  and  full  statement  of  all  text-books  used  by  him,  and  of  his  whole 
method  hf  instruction,  and  shall  treat  with  respectful  consideration  any  sug- 
gestions or  advice  which  the  Board  may  give. 

Sec.  3.  ist.  The  professors  of  the  Seminary  shall  constitute  a  faculty  of 
instruction  and  government;  they  shall  appoint  (unless  otherwise  ordered  by 
the  Board  of  Directors)  their  own  chairman  and  secretary  ;  and  on  every  ques- 
tion each  professor  shall  have  one  vote. 

2nd.  The  faculty  shall  meet  at  such  times  and  places  as  they  shall 
appoint;  and  may  make  rules  and  by-laws  not  inconsistent  with  the  constitu- 
tion, as  they  may  deem  proper. 

3rd.    The  faculty  shall  have  power  and  it  shall  be  their  duty : 

ist.  To  appoint  the  portion  of  time  and  the  particular  hours  the  students 
shall  attend  the  professors  respectively. 

2nd.  To  appoint  and  direct  all  exercises  to  be  performed  in  the  presence 
of  the  Seminary  or  in  public. 

3rd.  To  appoint  the  times  at  which  all  the  students  shall  assemble 
together  for  divine  worship  and  to  direct  the  conducting  of  the  same. 

4th.  To  provide  the  students,  if  they  shall  deem  it  expedient,  with 
preaching  and  other  ordinances  of  worship  and  means  of  grace  on  the  Lord's 
Day. 

5th.  To  establish  rules  of  order,  decorum  and  duty  for  the  conduct  of 
the  students. 

6th.  To  inquire  into  the  conduct  of  the  students,  and  to  admonish,  sus- 
pend or  dismiss  any  student  who  shall  be  found  propagating  error  in  doctrine, 
to  be  immoral  or  disorderly  in  conduct,  negligent  of  study  or  oiher  duties,  or 
who  shall  be  in  their  judgment  on  any  account  a  dangerous  and  unprofitable 
member  of  the  institution  ;  provided  that  such  student  shall  have  opportunity 
to  be  reasonably  heard  in  his  own  defence,  and  that  the  faculty  shall  sit  with 
due  caution  and  a  tender  regard  to  his  rights  and  his  welfare. 

Sec.  4.  1st.  The  faculty  shall  keep  a  register  in  which  shall  be  entered 
the  name  of  each  student,  his  residence,  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
the  presbytery,  if  any,  of  which  he  is  a  candidate,  the  college,  if  any,  of 
which  he  is  an  alumnus,  the  time  of  his  entering,  and  the  time  and  mode  of 
his  leaving  the  Seminary. 

2nd.  The  faculty  shall  keep  a  journal  of  their  proceedings,  which,  if 
required,  shall  be  laid  before  the  Board  of  Directors. 

3rd.  The  faculty  shall  make  a  report  of  the  state  of  the  Semmary  to  the 
Board  of  Directors  at  each  annual  meeeing  and  at  other  times  when  required 
by  the  Board, 

Article  5. 

Sec,  I.  The  course  of  study  shall  include  Biblical  languages  and  litera- 
ture, criticism  and  hermeneutics,  general  and  special  introduction  to  the 
Scriptures,  the  exegesis  of  so  many  of  the  principal  books  of  the  Scripture  as 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1856.  517 

the  time  shall  allow,  didactic  and  polemic  theology,  with  a  preliminary 
review  of  metaphysics,  psychology  and  ethics  in  their  relations  to  theology, 
the  constitution,  polity  and  history  of  the  Church,  sacred  rhetoric,  pastoral 
care  and  missionary  instruction. 

Sec.  2.  The  full  course  of  study  shall  occupy  three  sessions,  of  such  length 
as  the  Board  of  Directors  shall  order 

Sec.  3.  Those  students  who  shall  have  regularly  pursued  the  prescribed 
course  of  studies  shall  be  admitted  into  examination  therein  by  the  faculty 
and  the  Board  of  Directors,  or  a  committee  thereof,  and  if  the  examination 
shall  be  sustained  each  student  shall  receive  a  diploma  certifying  the  fact, 
from  the  faculty  with  the  consent  and  approval  of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Article  6. 

Sec.  I.  It  shall  be  regarded  by  all  connected  with  the  Seminary  as  an  ob- 
ject of  primary  importance  to  promote  a  high  grade  of  personal  godliness  in 
the  students,  as  being  an  essential  qualification  for  usefulness  in  the  ministry. 

Sec.  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  professors  by  all  proper  means,  explain- 
ing the  nature  of  true  godliness,  inculcating  the  obligation  to  eminent  godli- 
ness resting  upon  those  who  are  candidates  for  the  holy  ministry  and  indicat- 
ing the  means  of  promoting  it,  to  encourage  and  cherish  in  their  pupils  its 
life  and  power  and  an  unreserved  consecration  of  themselves  to   God. 

Sec.  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  student,  each  remembering  his  high 
and  peculiar  obligations  to  holiness,  the  necessity  of  this  to  his  own  personal 
safety  and  acceptance  with  God  or  usefulness  in  the  ministry,  and  that  it  is  a 
matter  which  from  the  nature  of  the  case  must  be  left  chiefly  with  himself,  as 
a  concern  between  God  and  his  own  soul,  diligently,  earnestly  and  constantly 
to  promote  and  maintain,  by  all  the  divinely  appointed  means,  in  his  own 
heart  and  conduct  the  spirit  of  true  living  and  acting  religion,  to  observe  the 
public  and  private  ordinances  of  divine  worship,  and  in  all  things  to  have  a 
conversation  becoming  his  Christian  relations  and  professions. 

Article  7. 

Sec.  I.  The  qualifications  required  in  students  for  admission  to  the  Semi- 
nary are  full  communion  in  some  branch  of  the  Christian  Church,  a  good 
reputation  for  consistent  Christian  character,  a  regular  course  of  academic 
study,  of  which  evidence  shall  be  furnished  by  a  college  degree  or  by  exami- 
nation, and,  if  from  another  theological  seminary,  a  written  certificate  of 
good  standing  and  honorable  dismission. 

Sec.  2.  Every  student,  before  admission  to  the  Seminary,  shall  subscribe 
the  following  engagement,  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  namely  :  "  I  do 
solemnly  promise  that  I  will  dihgently  and  faithfully  attend  to  all  the  instruc- 
tions and  exercises  of  this  Seminary,  observe  its  rules  of  conduct  relating  to 
students,  and  obey  the  lawful  requisitions  and  respect  the  admonitions  of  the 
professors  and  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  while  I  shall  continue  a  student  of 

the  institution." 

Article  8. 

The  facuhy  shall  have  the  custody  and  control  of  the  Seminary  grounds, 


5i8  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

buildings  and  library,  which  shall  be  subject  to  such  regulations  as  they  may 

prescribe. 

Article  9. 

Sec.  I.  All  permanent  funds  established  for  the  support  of  the  Seminary 
shall  be  sacredly  preserved  inviolate,  and  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  Board 
of  Directors,  the  Board  of  Trustees  or  any  person  to  withdraw  or  to  borrow,  for 
any  purpose,  from  any  such  fund  any  money,  securities  or  other  property, 
without  at  the  same  time  placing  to  the  credit  of  such  fund  a  value  clearly 
and  fully  equivalent. 

Sec.  2.  The  Board  of  Trustees,  which  shall  appoint  its  own  president, 
secretary  and  treasurer,  shall  have  the  custody  of  all  the  funds  and  property 
of  the  Seminary,  with  power  to  invest,  manage,  buy,  sell  and  otherwise  dis- 
pose of  the  same  for  the  use  of  the  Seminary,  in  any  manner  not  inconsistent 
with  this  constitution,  and  subject  in  all  things  to  the  instructions  of  the 
Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  3.  The  Board  of  Trustees  shall  appoint  a  treasurer,  who  shall  hold 
his  office  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Board,  and  whose  duty  it  shall  be,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Board,  to  keep  all  books  of  account,  and  to  have  the  cus- 
tody of  all  such  books  of  account,  securities  and  other  papers  and  documents 
relating  to  the  finances,  and  of  all  funds  and  other  property,  except  the 
Seminary  buildings,  the  grounds  connected  therewith  and  the  library;  and  to 
present  to  the  Board  annually,  and  oftener  when  required,  a  clear  and  full 
report  of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances,  and  of  the  transactions  of  the  cur- 
rent year,  and  he  shall  be  the  keeper  of  the  seal,  and  when  required  shall 
execute  to  the  Board  a  bond,  in  such  penal  sum  and  with  such  securities  as 
they  shall  prescribe,  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Sec.  4.  The  Board  of  Trustees  shall  make  to  the  Board  of  Directors  at 
the  annual  meeting,  and  at  other  times  when  required,  a  clear  and  full  report 
of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances,  and  of  the  transactions  of  the  current 
year  or  any  part  thereof. 

Article  10. 

Sec.  I.  The  adoption  and  ratification  of  this  constitution  by  any  four 
synods  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  including  a  majority  of  the  synods  now 
controUing  New  Albany  Theological  Seminary  shall  be  sufficient  for  its  estab- 
lishment between  the  synods  so  adopting  and  ratifying  it. 

Sec.  2.  In  case  that  this  constitution  shall  be  ratified  and  adopted  by  any 
four  synods  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  the  offices  of  the  present  directors 
shall  be,  ipso  facto,  vacated  from  and  after  such  adoption  ;  and  the  Synods  of 
Indiana,  Northern  Indiana  and  Cincinnati,  now  united  in  the  direction  of  the 
Seminary  at  New  Albany,  are  empowered  to  direct  the  present  Board  of 
Trustees  to  return  to  the  donors,  their  heirs  and  assigns,  any  funds  or  property 
given  to  the  Seminary  on  condition  of  the  continuance  of  its  location  at  New 
Albany,  so  far  as  these  may  be  legally  claimed  by  such  donors,  their  heirs  or 
assigns,  and  to  convey  and  deliver  all  the  residue  of  the  funds,  and  other 
property  of  the  Seminary,  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  appointed  under  this 
constitution. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1856.  519 

Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Cincinnati,  in  session  at  Urbana,  Ohio.  October 
6th,  1856.  Joseph  G.  Monfort,  moderator, 

S.  Steel,  stated  clerk. 

Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Wisconsin,  in  session  at  Janesville,  Wis. ,  Octo- 
ber loth,  1856.  R.  Frame,  moderator, 

I,  A.  Savage,  stated  clerk. 

Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Iowa,  in  session  at  Burlington,  la.,  October 
nth,  1856.  J.  D.  Mason,  moderator  and  stated  clerk. 

Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Illinois,  in  session  at  Springfield,  111.,  October 
13th,  1856.  F.  N,  Ewing,  moderator, 

Rob't  Johnson,  stated  clerk. 

Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Northern  Indiana,  in  session  at  Crawfordsville, 
Ind..  October  17th,  1856.  J.  Edwards,  moderator, 

E.  W.  Wright,  stated  clerk. 

Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Chicago,  in  session  at  Princeton,  111.,  October 
17th,  1856,  S.  T.  Wilson,  moderator, 

I.  N.  Candee,  stated  clerk. 

Adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Indiana,  in  session  at  Paris,  Ind.,  October  i8th, 
1856.  J.  A.  Steele,  moderator, 

Jno.  F.  Smith,  stated  clerk. 


APPENDIX  D. 


CHARTER  OF  INCORPORATION  GRANTED  BY  THE  LEGISLATURE  OF  ILLINOIS 
MARCH  2 1ST,  1857. 

An  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest. 

Whereas,  it  is  represented  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  that  the  Synods  of  Cincinnati,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Illinois,  Northern 
Indiana,  Chicago  and  Indiana,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  did  respectively  on  the  sixth,  the  tenth,  the  eleventh,  the 
thirteenth,  the  seventeenth  and  the  eighteenth  days  of  October,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  Eighteen  Hundred  and  Fifty-six,  adopt  an  instrument  entitled  The 
Constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest  and 
have  now  a  Seminary  for  the  professional  education  of  candidates  for  the 
Christian  ministry  established  and  in  operation  under  said  constitution ;  and 
Whereas  it  is  represented,  that,  in  order  to  the  more  convenient  custody, 
management  and  disposal  of  the  funds  and  other  property  now  possessed,  and 
which  shall  hereafter  be  possessed  for  the  use  of  the  said  Seminary,  by  the 
synods  aforesaid,  and  other  synods  which  shall  become  united  with  them  in 
the  direction  and  control  of  the  said  Seminary,  in  conformity  with  the  said 
constitution,  it  is  necessary  that  there  be  constituted  a  Board  of  Trustees, 
which  shall  be  a  corporation,  or  body  corporate  and  politic  in  law  and  in 
fact ;  therefore 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  represented  in  the 
General  Assembly : 

Sec.  I.  That  John  Wilson,  Samuel  Howe,  R.  J,  Hamilton,  R.  W.  Henry, 
A.  B.  Newkirk,  R.  B.  Mason,  William  Bailey,  Warren  Norton  and  A.  J.  Buel, 
who  at  present  constitute  the  Board  of  Trustees  aforesaid,  in  said  office,  and 
their  successors  duly  elected  and  appointed  in  the  manner  hereinafter  provided, 
be  and  they  are  hereby  constituted  and  declared  a  corporation  or  body  cor- 
porate and  politic  in  law  and  in  fact,  and  to  have  continuance  and  perpetual 
succession,  by  the  name  and  style  of  The  Trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

Sec.  2.  That  the  said  corporation  shall  be  composed  of  nine  trustees,  of 
whom  not  less  than  five  shall  be  citizens  of  the  State  of  Illinois  :  and  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Seminary  established  under  the  said  constitution 
shall  have  power  at  any  meeting  held  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  to  change  one- 
third  of  the  whole  number  of  trustees  in  such  manner  as  to  the  said  Board  of 

520 


CHARTER  OF  1857.  521 

Directors  shall  seem  proper,  and  to  fill  all  vacancies  which  may  then  exist 
in  the  Board  of  Trustees  ;  and  of  every  trustee  sO  appointed,  the  proper  cre- 
dentials shall  be  a  written  certificate  of  his  appointment  by  the  Board  of 
Directors,  authenticated  by  the  name  of  its  president  and  secretary. 

Sec.  3.  That  before  any  trustee  enters  on  the  execution  of  his  office, 
he  shall  subscribe,  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  the  following  engagement: 
"  In  the  presence  of  God,  I  do  soJemly  promise  that  I  will  faithfully  execute 
the  office  of  a  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west, under  the  act  to  incorporate  the  trustees  thereof,  and  will  support  the 
constitution  of  the  Seminary  so  long  as  I  continue  in  this  office." 

Sec.  4.  That  any  five  members  of  the  said  corporation,  being  met  for  the 
first  time  in  conformity  to  this  act,  or  afterwards,  in  the  manner  herein- 
after provided,  shall  be  a  quorum  sufficient  to  transact  its  business. 

Sec.  5,  That  the  said  corporation  shall  have  power  to  make  all  rules  and 
by-laws  which  may  be  necessary  and  proper  for  the  transaction  of  its  business; 
it  shall  have  po'ver  according  to  its  own  rules,  and  as  shall  seem. to  it  proper, 
to  appoint  a  president,  a  vice-president  and  a  secretary  out  of  its  own  mem- 
bers, and  other  officers  or  agents  at  its  own  discretion,  the  time  and  tenure  of 
their  offices  respectively,  the  duties  belonging  to  each,  and  the  pecuniary 
compensation  which  they  shall  receive. 

Sec.  6.  That  the  first  meeting  of  the  said  corporation  shall  be  held  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  at  such  time  as  any  five  of  the  trustees  named  in  this  act, 
being  assembled  together,  shall  appoint  ;  afterwards  it  shall  meet  at  .such 
times  and  places  as  it  shall  appoint;  and  the  president,  or  in  case  of  his 
absence  or  inability  or  refusal  or  neglect  to  act  the  vice-president,  or  if 
he  fail,  the  secretary  shall  have  power,  and  when  requested  by  any  three 
trustees  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  convene  the  corporation  ;  of  the  time  and  place 
of  which  special  meeting,  the  officer  calling  it  shall  give  to  each  trustee  due 
notice,  either  by  himself  orally,  or  by  some  other  person,  or  by  a  written  note 
left  at  the  dwelling  or  the  usual  place  of  business  of  such  trustee,  or  sent  to 
him  by  mail  at  least  seven  days  before  the  time  of  such  meeting. 

Sec.  7.  That  all  questions  before  the  said  corporation  shall  be  decided  by  a 
majority  of  the  members  present  at  the  time,  and  on  every  such  question 
each  member  shall  have  one  vote,  except  the  president,  or  other  person  when 
acting  as  president,  who  shall  have  only  the  casting  vote  in  case  the  votes  of 
the  other  members  shall  be  equally  divided. 

Sec.  8.  That  the  said  corporation  shall  have  power  to  make,  have  and  use 
one  common  seal,  with  such  device  and  inscription  as  it  shall  appoint,  and  the 
same  to  break,  change  or  renew  at  its  discretion. 

Sec.  9.  That  the  said  corporation  shall  have  power  to  appoint  a  treas- 
urer, who  shall  hold  his  office  during  the  pleasure  of  the  corporation,  whose 
duty  it  shall  be,  under  the  direction  of  the  corporation,  to  keep  all  books 
of  account,  to  have  the  custody  of  all  such  books  of  account,  securities  of 
every  kind  and  other  papers  and  documents  relating  to  the  finances,  and  of 
all  funds,  moneys  and  other  property,  real  and  personal  (except  the  buildings 
and  grounds  connected  therewith,  occupied  by  the  Seminary,  the  library  and 
furniture,  of  which,  subject  to  the  disposal  of  the  corporation,  the  faculty 


522  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

shall  have  the  custody  and  control),  and  to  present  to  the  corporation  annually 
and  oftener  when  required,  a  clear,  full  and  true  report  of  the  transactions  of 
the  current  year,  or  any  part  thereof,  and  of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances  ; 
he  shall  be  the  keeper  of  the  seal,  and  shall  have  the  sole  right  to  use  it  for 
the  authentication  of  such  instruments  as  the  corporation  shall  direct  him 
thus  to  authenticate,  and  shall  execute  to  the  corporation,  whenever  required, 
a  bond  or  bonds,  in  such  penal  sum  or  sums,  and  with  such  securities  as  the 
corporation  shall  prescribe,  for  the  faithful  execution  of  his  office  ;  and  of  all 
such  bonds  and  securities  the  president  of  the  corporation  shall  have  the 
custody. 

Sec.  lo.  That  the  said  corporation,  by  the  name  and  style  aforesaid,  shall 
be  capable  and  able  in  law  to  sue  and  be  sued,  plead  and  be  impleaded,  in 
any  court  or  courts  of  law  or  of  equity,  before  any  judge  or  judges,  in  all  and 
all  manner  of  suits,  complaints,  pleas,  causes,  matters,  and  demands  of  what- 
soever kind  and  form  they  may  be,  and  all  things  therein,  or  anywise  relating 
thereto,  to  do  in  as  full  and  effectual  a  manner  as  any  person  or  persons,  or  any 
body  politic  and  corporate  within  the  state,  may  or  can  do. 

Sec.  II.  That  the  said  corporation  is  hereby  expressly  prohibited  from 
exercising,  in  virtue  of  any  power  derived  from  this  act,  any  authority  or  con- 
trol in  any  way  whatever  in  respect  to  the  doctrine  or  doctrines  taught,  the 
course  of  instruction  and  study,  or  the  government  and  discipline  in  the  said 
Seminary,  or  to  the  appointment  of  professors  or  other  instructors  in  the  said 
Seminary,  the  tenure  of  their  offices  or  the  execution  thereof,  or  to  the 
pecuniary  compensation  which  any  such  professor  shall  receive,  or  the  time 
or  manner  of  its  payment  :  all  of  which  matters  and  things  shall  remain  under 
the  exclusive  power  and  direction  of  the  synods  aforesaid,  and  such  other 
synods  as  shall  become  united  with  them  therein,  in  conformity  to  the  provis- 
ions of  the  constitution  of  said  Seminary,  as  the  same  now  exists  or  as  it  may 
hereafter  exist  by  amendment  provided  for  by  the  said  constitution,  and  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  said  Seminary,  and  so  far  as  it  respects  the  execu- 
tion of  their  own  offices,  of  the  professors  of  said  Seminary  ;  the  said  directors 
being  in  all  things  appertaining  to  their  own  offices  subject  to  the  control  of 
said  synods,  and  the  professors  amenable  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  in  con- 
formity to  the  said  constitution. 

Sec.  12.  That  the  said  corporation,  by  the  name  and  style  aforesaid,  shall 
be  capable  in  law,  and  shall  have  full  power  to  take,  receive  and  hold  all  and 
all  manner  of  lands,  tenements,  moneys,  stocks,  rents,  annuities,  reversions, 
franchises,  legacies,  hereditaments  and  other  property,  real  and  personal, 
which  are  hereby  vested  and  established  in  the  said  corporation  forever, 
according  to  the  use  and  interest  for  which  such  gifts,  grants,  devises,  releases, 
or  other  conveyance  respectively,  were  originally  made.  And  the  said  cor- 
poration is  hereby  declared  to  be  seized  and  possessed  of  such  estate  or  estates 
therein,  as  in  and  by  these  respective  grants,  sales,  bargains,  enfeoffments, 
gifts,  devises  and  other  conveyances  thereof,  are  declared,  limited  and 
expressed.  That  further,  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors  shall  be 
capable  in  law,  and  have  full  power  to  take,  receive,  hold  and  enjoy,  in  fee 
simple,  or  of  lease,  estate  or  estates,  in  trust  for  the  use  of  the  said  Seminary, 


CHARTER  OF  1857.  523 

all  lands,  tenements,  moneys,  stocks,  rents,  annuities,  franchises,  legacies, 
hereditaments  and  other  property,  real  and  personal  whatsoever,  by  sale,  bar- 
gain, grant,  enfeoffment,  release,  gift,  devise,  or  other  conveyance  of  any 
body  politic  and  corporate,  or  any  person  or  persons  capable  to  make  the 
same  ;  and  that  no  misnomer  of  the  said  corporation  and  their  successors 
shall  annul,  defeat,  or  in  anywise  impair  any  gift,  devise  or  grant  of  any  kind 
to  the  said  corporation,  or  to  any  other  person  or  persons,  or  any  other  body 
politic  and  corporate  for  the  said  corporation  ;  provided,  that  the  interests  of 
the  party  or  parties  shall  sufficiently  appear  upon  the  face  of  the  gift,  grant, 
will  or  other  writing,  whereby  it  was  intended  that  any  estate  or  interest 
should  pass  to  said  corporation,  or  to  any  other  body  politic  and  corporate  for 
the  use  of  the  said  Seminary. 

Sec.  13,  That  the  said  corporation,  and  its  successors,  shall  have  power  to 
invest  and  loan  all  moneys  and  funds,  and  by  bargam,  sale,  lease,  or  other- 
wise, to  manage,  sell  and  dispose  of  any  and  all  lands,  tenements,  stocks, 
rents,  annuities,  franchises,  legacies,  bequests  and  estates  of  any  kind  of 
which  they  shall  be  legally  seized  and  possessed,  for  the  sole  use  of  the  said 
Seminary,  in  the  promotion  of  the  objects  for  which  it  is  established,  and  in 
conformity  to  the  provisions  of  this  act.  That  the  said  corporation  shall  have 
power,  and  it  sliall  be  its  duty,  out  of  any  estate,  funds  and  property  in  its 
possession,  custody,  management  and  control,  and  not  otherwise  appropriated 
and  limited,  to  provide  by  purchase  or  otherwise  grounds,  buildings,  libraries, 
furniture  and  other  accommodations  for  the  use  of  the  said  Seminary,  and  in 
like  manner  to  provide  an  income  for  payment  of  all  such  salaries  and  com- 
pensations of  professors,  instructors  and  other  officers  and  agents  of  the  said 
Seminary  as  shall  be  allowed  and  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  said 
Seminary,  and  for  the  payment  of  the  salaries  and  compensations  allowed 
and  appointed  by  the  said  corporation  to  its  own  officers,  agents,  or  other  per- 
sons, and  for  defraying  all  the  necessary  and  proper  expenses  for  the  trans- 
action of  its  business. 

Sec.  14.  That  in  all  cases  in  which  special  instructions  shall  be  given  by- 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  said  Seminary  in  writing,  authenticated  by  the 
name  of  its  president  and  secretary,  in  respect  to  the  custody,  investment, 
management  or  disposal  of  any  lands,  tenements,  stocks,  moneys,  gifts,  Ifega- 
cies,  hereditaments,  property,  real  and  personal,  estate  or  estates  of  any  kind 
of  which  the  said  corporation  shall  be  possessed,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
said  corporation  to  act  in  conformity  to  said  instructions  ;  provided,  that  the 
said  instructions  shall  not  be  repugnant  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  to  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  this  State,  or  to  this  act. 

Sec.  15.  That  the  said  corporation  shall  keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings, 
and  shall  keep  regular  and  fair  entries  of  all  its  pecuniary  transactions,  and  a 
true  and  exact  account  of  its  receipts  and  disbursements  in  a  book  or  books 
kept  for  that  purpose  ;  make  to  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  said  Seminary 
a  clear,  full  and  true  report  of  the  transactions  of  the  current  year,  or  any 
part  thereof,  and  of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances,  and  shall,  whenever 
required,  submit  its  journal  and  all  books  of  account,  securities  and  other 
papers  and  documents  relating  to  the  business  of  the  corporation,  to  the 


524  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

examination  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  said  Seminary,  or  of  any  person 
or  persons  appointed  by  the  said  board  to  make  such  examination. 

Sec.  i6.  That  the  said  corporation  shall  have  power  to  take,  receive, 
hold,  possess  and  enjoy  for  the  use  of  the  said  Seminary,  lands,  messuages, 
tenements,  stocks,  rents,  annuities,  grants,  gifts,  hereditaments  and  other 
estate,  real  or  personal. 

Sec.  17.  This  act  shall  be  deemed  and  taken  to  be  a  public  act,  and 
shall  be  of  force  from  and  after  the  date  of  its  passage. 

Samuel  Holmes, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
John  Wood, 
Approved  February  16,  1857.  Speaker  of  the  Senate. 

Wm.  H.  Bissell. 

United  States  of  America,  } 
State  of  Illmois,  ^ 

I,  O.  M.  Hatch,  Secretary  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  do  hereby  certify  the 
foregoing  to  be  a  true  and  correct  copy  of  an  enrolled  law  now  on  file  in  my 
office.  In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  caused  the 
great  seal  of  the  State  to  be  affixed.  Done  at  Springfield,  this  21st  day  of 
March,  1857. 

(L.  S.)  O.  M.  Hatch, 

Secretary. 


APPENDIX  E. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  OF  THE 

NORTHWEST. 

Adopted  in  1859. 

Whereas,  The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest  did.  in  accordance  with  the  vote  of  the  synods  hereto- 
fore having  the  control  thereof,  present  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  at  its  sessions  held  at  Indianapo- 
lis, in  the  State  of  Indiana,  in  May,  1859,  a  resolution  previously  adopted  by 
the  said  Board,  in  the  followmg  words,  to-wit : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Northwest  be  and  is  hereby  so  amended  that  the  direction  of  the 
said  Seminary,  the  right  to  determine  the  number  of  directors  and  professors 
and  to  appoint  the  same,  and  all  the  powers  which  have  heretofore  been 
vested  in  the  synods  shall  be  and  hereby  are  transferred  to  and  vested  in  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  provided 
that  this  direction  be  accepted  by  the  Assembly." 

And  whereas.  The  said  Board  of  Directors  did  at  the  same  time  present 
to  the  said  General  Assembly  an  overture  praying  that  the  said  General 
Assembly  would  accept  the  control  and  direction  of  the  said  Seminary,  in 
accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  said  resolution : 

And  whereas.  The  said  General  Assembly  did  at  its  said  sessions  resolve 
to  accept  and  did  accept  the  same  ; 

And  whereas,  The  constitution  heretofore  adopted  by  the  said  synods  for 
the  organization  and  government  of  the  said  Seminary  has,  in  consequence 
of  the  said  resolution  and  of  the  said  transfer  to  the  General  Assembly, 
become  in  many  respects  inapplicable  in  its  terms  and  provisions  to  the  pres- 
ent and  prospective  condition  of  the  Seminary  ;  therefore 

Resolved,  That  the  following  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  ordained  and 
established  as  the  constitution  of  the  said  Seminary. 

Article  I. 

Of  the  Name  and  Objects  of  the  Seminary. 

Sec.  I.  The  name  of  the  institution  shall  be  The  Presbyterian  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  of  the  Northwest. 

Sec.  2.  The  objects  of  the  Seminary  shall  be  to  instruct  candidates  for 
the  gospel  ministry  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God,  contained  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  the  only  supreme  and  infallible 

525 


526  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

rule  of  faith  and  lite,  and  of  the  doctrine,  order  and  institutes  of  wor- 
ship taught  in  the  Scriptures  and  summarily  exhibited  in  the  constitution 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States;  to  cherish  in  them, 
by  all  the  means  of  divine  appointment,  the  life  of  true  godliness;  to 
cultivate  in  them  the  gifts  which  Christ  the  Head  of  the  Church,  by  his 
Spirit  confers  upon  those  whom  he  calls  to  the  ministry,  and  to  impart  to 
them,  so  far  as  may  be,  the  various  learning  by  which  they  may  be  furnished 
for  its  work,  to  the  end  that  there  may  be  trained  up  a  succession  of  able, 
faithful  and  godly  ministers  of  the  divine  Word,  as  the  chief  agency  under 
God  ordained  of  the  Church,  for  the  gathering  and  perfecting  of  the  saints  in 
this  life  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

Article  II. 
Of  the  General  Supervision  and  Control  of  the  Seminary. 

Sec.  I.  The  General  Assembly  shall  have  the  general  supervision  and 
control  of  the  said  Seminary  and  of  all  its  directors,  professors,  officers  and 
agents,  and  shall  have  power  to  direct  as  to  its  management  in  all  respects 
and  as  to  the  disposition  of  its  funds  and  property;  to  determine  the  number  of 
Its  directors  and  professors,  and  to  appoint  the  same  and  to  prescribe  their 
term  of  ofhce  ;  to  designate  the  branches  of  study  to  be  pursued  and  the  titles 
and  departments  of  the  respective  professors,  and  to  suspend  or  remove  from 
office  any  of  the  said  professors  at  its  discretion  ;  and  shall  decide  all  ques- 
tions or  controversies  arising  between  the  Board  of  Directors  and  professors, 
or  between  the  respective  professors,  and  all  questions  referred  to  it  by  the 
Board  of  Directors  ;  and  shall  have  power  of  its  own  motion  to  review  and  to 
confirm^  reverse  or  modify  any  decision  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  gener- 
ally have  all  other  powers  necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  object 
for  which  the  Seminary  is  established. 

Article  III. 
Of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  I.  The  General  Assembly  shall  elect  a  Board  of  Directors  for  the 
said  Seminary,  to  consist  of  not  less  than  thirty-two  persons,  and  composed, 
as  nearly  as  may  be,  of  an  even  number  of  ministers  and  ruling  elders  in 
regular  standing  in  the  Presbyterian  Church ;  and  shall,  at  its  regular 
sessions  hereafter,  fill  all  vacancies  in  the  said  Board  and  elect  new  directors 
in  the  place  of  those  whose  term  of  office  is  about  to  expire. 

Sec.  2.  At  the  first  election  of  said  directors  one-fourth  part  shall  be 
elected  for  the  term  of  one  year,  one-fourth  for  two  years,  one-fourth  for  three 
years,  one-fourth  for  four  years  And  the  directors  so  elected  shall  hold  their 
offices  respectively  until  the  end  of  the  next  regular  sessions  of  the  General 
Assembly  and  until  their  successors  shall  be  duly  elected  and  qualified. 

Sec.  3.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  the  superintendence  and  control 
of  the  Seminary  and  its  funds,  subject,  however,  to  the  supervision  of  the 
General  Assembly,  as  provided  in  article  2. 

Sec.  4.  Every  director  before  taking  his  seat  as  a  member,  shall  subscribe 
the  following  engagement  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,   viz.  :    "  I   do 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1859.  527 

solemnly  promise,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of  this  Board,  that  I  will  faith- 
fully execute  the  office  of  a  director  of  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary 
of  the  Northwest,  and  will  support  its  constitution  and  the  constitution  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  so  long  as  I  remain  in  this  office." 

Sec.  5.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  meet  once  in  every  year  at  the  place 
where  the  Seminary  is  located,  and  such  annual  meeting  shall  be  on  the 
Wednesday  immediately  preceding  the  close  of  the  Seminary  year,  unless  the 
Board  shall  appoint  another  time ;  and  the  Board  may  meet  at  other  times 
and  places  on  its  own  adjournment,  and  on  extraordinary  occasions  by  the  call 
of  the  president  or  other  officer  having  power  to  convene  it. 

Sec.  6.  Any  seven  directors  being  met  at  the  time  and  place  appomted 
shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transa^ction  of  business.  Any  two  directors 
so  met  may  adjourn  from  time  to  time,  until  a  quorum  shall  be  present. 

Sec.  7.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  choose  annually  from  their  own 
members  a  president,  vice-president  and  a  secretary,  who  shall  hold  their 
offices  from  the  time  of  their  election  till  the  next  annual  meeting  and  until 
their  successors  shall  be  duly  appointed. 

Sec.  8.  The  president,  or  in  case  of  his  absence,  the  vice-president,  shall 
preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Board  and  perform  such  other  duties  as 
naturally  belong  to  his  office  and  as  the  Board  shall  appoint.  He  may  con- 
vene, and  when  requested  by  any  seven  members,  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  con- 
vene the  Board ;  and  of  the  time  and  place  of  such  special  meeting  and  the 
business  for  which  it  is  called  he  shall  send  a  written  notice  by  mail  or  other- 
wise, not  less  than  twenty  days  before  the  time  of  such  meeting. 

Sec.  9.  The  secretary  shall  keep  a  full  and  true  record  of  the  transactions 
of  the  Board,  and  shall  keep  all  books  of  records  and  papers,  and  perform 
such  other  duties  as  the  Board  shall  direct. 

Sec.  10.  In  the  absence  of  any  officer  the  Board  may  appoint  some  other 
person  to  fill  his  p\3.ce  pro  tempore. 

Sec.  II.  The  Board  may  make  rules  of  order  and  by-laws,  not  inconsistent 
with  this  constitution. 

Sec.  12.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  power  and  it  shall  be  their 
duty  : 

1.  To  superintend,  either  by  itself  or  by  a  committee,  the  annual 
examinations  of  the  students,  and  to  appoint  such  other  services  in  con- 
nection therewith  as  it  may  think  proper, 

2.  To  provide  all  funds,  buildings,  libraries  and  other  means  necessary 
and  proper  for  the  use  of  the  Seminary  ;  to  appoint  a  Board  of  Trustees  and 
fill  all  vacancies  therein,  and  to  instruct  and  direct  the  said  Board  in  respect 
to  the  investment,  custody,  management  and  disposal  of  all  funds  and 
property  of  the  institution  ;  to  fix  the  salaries  of  all  professors  and  other 
officers ;  and  by  itself,  or  the  Board  of  Trustees,  to  make  all  appropriations 
of  moneys. 

3.  To  make  annually  to  the  General  Assembly,  in  writing,  a  full  and 
faithful  report  of  the  whole  state  of  the  Seminary,  and  of  the  transactions  of 
the  Board,  and  to  recommend  such  measures  as  shall  appear  to  be  proper  for 
its  benefit. 


528  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Sec.  13.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  hold  its  first  meeting  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  Illinois,  on  the  fourth  Tuesday  of  June,  1859,  at  ten  o'clock,  A.  M. 
After^vards  it  shall  meet  on  its. own  adjournment  and  in  conformity  to  the 
provisions  of  this  article. 

Sec.  14.    It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  of  Directors  to  use  and  take  all 

proper  measures  to   put   the    Seminary   in  operation   at   the   earliest    date 

practicable. 

Article  IV. 

Of  the  Professors. 

Sec.  I.  1st.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  any  professorship  in  the  Semi- 
nary except  a  member  in  full  communion  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  ;  and 
no  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  professor  of  Theology  except  a  regu- 
larly ordained  minister  in  that  church. 

2d.  Every  professor  before  he  enters  upon  the  execution  of  his  office  shall 
subscribe  the  following  engagement,  m  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  namely : 
"  In  the  presence  of  God  and  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  this  Seminary,  I  do 
solemnly  profess  my  belief  that  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  catechisms  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  contain  a  summary  and  true  exhibition  of  the  system 
of  doctrine,  order  and  worship  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  only 
supreme  and  infallible  rule  of  faith,  and  my  approbation  of  the  Presbyterian 
form  of  church  government,  as  being  agreeable  to  the  Scriptures,  and  do 
promise  that  I  will  not  teach  directly  or  indirectly  anything  contrary  to  or 
inconsistent  with  the  said  confession  and  catechisms,  or  the  fundamental 
principles  of  Presbyterian  church  government,  and  that  I  will  faithfully 
execute  the  office  of  a  professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest." 

Sec.  2.  1st.  Each  professor  shall  have  power  to  conduct  the  course  of 
instruction  in  the  studies  assigned  to  his  department ;  to  preserve  order  and 
due  attention  therein,  and  to  appoint  such  exercises  of  religious  worship  in 
connection  therewith  as  he  may  deem  proper. 

2d.  Each  professor  if  required  shall  lay  before  the  Board  of  Directors  a 
true  and  full  statement  of  all  text  books  used  by  him  and  of  his  whole  method 
of  instruction,  and  shall  treat  with  respectful  consideration  any  suggestions  or 
advice  which  the  Board  may  give. 

Sec.  3.  ist.  The  professors  of  the  Seminary  shall  constitute  a  faculty  of 
instruction  and  government ;  they  shall  appoint  (unless  the  Board  of  Directors 
otherwise  order)  their  own  chairman  and  secretary,  and  on  every  question  each 
professor  shall  have  one  vote. 

2d.  The  faculty  shall  meet  at  such  times  and  places  as  they  shall  appoint, 
and  may  make  such  rules  and  by-laws,  not  inconsistent  with  this  constitution, 
as  they  may  deem  proper. 

3d.    The  faculty  shall  have  power,  and  it  shall  be  their  duty  : 

(i)  To  appoint  the  portion  of  time  and  the  particular  hours,  that  the 
students  shall  attend  the  professors  respectively. 

(2)  To  appoint  and  direct  all  exercises  to  be  performed  in  the  presence  of 
the  whole  Seminary  or  in  public. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1859.  529 

(3)  To  appoint  the  times  at  which  all  the  students  shall  assemble  together 
for  divine  worship,  and  to  direct  the  conducting  of  the  same, 

(4)  To  provide  the  students,  if  they  shall  deem  it  expedient,  with  preach- 
ing and  other  ordinances  of  worship  and  means  of  grace  on  the  Lord's  Day. 

(5)  To  establish  rules  of  order,  decorum  and  duty  for  the  conduct  of  the 
students. 

(6)  To  inquire  into  the  conduct  of  the  students,  and  to  admonish,  suspend 
or  dismiss  any  student  who  shall  be  found  propagating  error  in  doctrine,  to  be 
immoral  or  disorderly  in  conduct,  negligent  of  study  or  other  duties,  or  who 
shall  be  in  their  judgment  on  any  account,  a  dangerous  or  unprofitable  mem- 
ber of  the  institution  ;  provided,  that  such  student  shall  have  opportunity  to 
be  reasonably  heard  in  his  own  defence  and  that  the  faculty  shall  sit  with  due 
caution  and  a  tender  regard  to  his  rights  and  his  welfare. 

Sec.  4.  1st.  The  faculty  shall  keep  a  register,  in  which  shall  be  entered 
the  name  of  each  student,  his  residence,  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
the  presbytery  if  any  of  w-hich  he  is  a  candidate,  the  college  if  any  of  which 
he  is  an  alumnus,  the  time  of  his  entering  and  the  time  and  mode  of  his 
leaving  the  Seminary, 

2d.  The  faculty  shall  keep  a  journal  of  their  proceedings,  which  if 
required  shall  be  laid  before  the  Board  of  Directors. 

3d.    The  faculty  shall  make  a  report  of  the  state  of  the  Seminary  to  the 

Board  of  Directors  at  each  annual  meeting,  and  at  other  times  when  required 

by  the  Board. 

Article  V. 

Of  the  Course  of  Studies. 

Sec.  I.  The  course  of  studies  shall  include  Biblical  languages  and 
literature,  criticism  and  henneneutics,  general  and  special  introduction  to 
the  Scriptures,  the  exegesis  of  so  many  of  the  principal  books  of  the  Scriptures 
as  the  time  shall  allow,  didactic  and  polemic  theology,  with  a  preliminary 
review  of  metaphysics,  psychology  and  ethics  in  their  relations  to  theology, 
the  constitution,  polity  and  history  of  the  Church,  sacred  rhetoric,  pastoral 
care  and  missionary  instruction. 

Sec.  2.  The  full  course  of  studies  shall  occupy  three  sessions  of  such  length 
as  the  Board  of  Directors  shall  order. 

Sec.  3.  Those  students  who  shall  have  regularly  pursued  the  prescribed 
course  of  studies  shall  be  admitted  to  an  examination  therein  by  the  faculty 
and  the  Board  of  Directors  or  a  committee  thereof ;  and,  if  the  examination 
shall  be  sustained,  such  students  shall  receive  a  diploma,  certifying  the  fact, 
from  the  faculty,  with  the  consent  and  approval  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 

Article  VI. 

Of  Personal  Religion, 

Sec.  I.  It  shall  be  regarded  by  all  connected  with  the  Seminary  as  an 
object  of  primary  importance  to  promote  a  high  grade  of  personal  godliness 
in  the  students,  as  being  an  essential  qualification  for  usefulness  in  the  min- 
istry. 


530  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

Sec.  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  professors  by  all  proper  means,  explain- 
ing the  nature  of  true  godliness,  inculcating  the  obligation  to  eminent  godli- 
ness resting  upon  those  who  are  candidates  for  the  holy  ministry  and  indi- 
cating the  means  of  promoting  it,  to  encourage  and  cherish  in  their  pupils  its 
life  and  power  and  unreserved  consecration  of  themselves  to  God. 

Sec.  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  students,  each  remembering  his  high 
and  peculiar  obligations  to  holiness,  the  necessity  of  this  to  his  own  personal 
safety  and  acceptance  with  God  or  usefulness  in  the  ministry,  and  that  it  is  a 
matter  which,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  must  be  left  chiefly  with  himself 
as  a  concern  between  God  and  his  own  soul,  diligently,  earnestly  and  con- 
stantly to  maintain  and  promote,  by  all  the  divinely  appointed  means,  in  their 
own  hearts  and  conduct  the  spirit  of  true,  living  and  active  religion;  to 
observe  the  public  and  private  ordinances  of  divine  worship  and  in  all  things 
to  have  a  conversation  becoming  their  Christian  relations  and  professions. 

Article  VII. 
Of  Admission. 

Sec.  I.  The  qualifications  required  in  students  for  admission  to  the  Semi- 
nary are  full  communion  in  some  branch  of  the  Christian  Church,  a  good 
reputation  for  consistent  Christian  character,  a  regular  course  of  academic 
study,  of  which  evidence  shall  be  furnished  by  a  college  degree  or  by  exami- 
nation, and,  if  from  another  theological  seminary,  a  written  certificate  of  good 
standing  and  honorable  dismissal. 

Sec.  2.  Every  student,  before  admission  to  the  Seminary,  shall  subscribe 
the  following  engagement  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  namely  :  "  I  do 
solemnly  promise  that  I  will  diligently  and  faithfully  attend  on  all  the  instruc- 
tions and  exercises  of  this  Seminary,  observe  its  rules  of  conduct  relating  to 
students,  and  obey  the  lawful  requisitions  and  respect  the  admonitions  of  the 
professors  and  of  the  Board  of  Directors  while  I  shall  continue  a  student  of 
the  institution." 

Article  VIII. 

Of  the  Seminary  Grounds,  Buildings  and  Library. 

The  faculty  shall  have  the  custody  and  control  of  the  Seminary  grounds, 
buildings  and  library,  which  shall  be  subject  to  such  regulations  as  they  may 
prescribe. 

Article  IX. 

Of  the  Funds  and  Financial  Officers. 

Sec.  I.  All  permanent  funds  established  for  the  support  of  the  Seminary 
shall  be  sacredly  preserved  inviolate,  and  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  Board 
of  Directors,  the  Board  of  Trustees,  or  any  person  to  withdraw  or  to  borrow, 
for  any  purpose,  from  any  such  fund  any  money,  securities  or  other  property, 
without  at  the  same  time  placing  to  the  credit  of  such  fund  a  value  clearly 
and  fully  equivalent. 

Sec.  2.  The  Board  of  Trustees,  which  shall  appoint  its  own  president, 
secretary  and  treasurer,  shall  have  the  custody  of  all  the  funds  and  property 
of  the  Seminary,  with  power  to  invest,  manage,  buy,  sell  and  otherwise  dis- 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1859.  53I 

pose  of  the  same  for  the  use  of  the  Seminary,  in  any  manner  not  inconsistent 
with  this  constitution  and  subject  in  all  things  to  the  instructions  of  the 
Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  3.  The  Board  of  Trustees  shall  appoint  a  treasurer,  who  shall  hold 
his  office  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Board,  and  whose  duty  it  shall  be,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Board,  to  keep  all  books  of  account,  and  to  have  the  cus- 
tody of  all  such  books  of  account,  securities  and  other  papers  and  documents 
relating  to  the  finances,  and  of  all  funds  and  other  property,  except  the  Semi- 
nary buildings,  the  grounds  connected  therewith  and  the  library  ;  and  to  pre- 
sent to  the  Board  annually,  and  oftener  when  required,  a  clear  and  full  report 
of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances  and  of  the  transactions  of  the  current  year; 
and  he  shall  be  the  keeper  of  the  seal,  and  when  required  shall  execute  to  the 
Board  a  bond  m  such  penal  sum  and  with  such  securities  as  they  shall  pre- 
scribe, for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Sec.  4.  The  Board  of  Trustees  shall  make  to  the  Board  of  Directors,  at 
the  annual  meeting,  and  at  other  times  when  required,  a  clear  and  full 
report  of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances  and  of  the  transactions  of  the  cur- 
rent year,  or  any  part  thereof,  which  report  shall  be  transmitted  by  the  Board 
of  Directors  to  the  General  Assembly. 

Article  X. 

Offices  of  the  Former  Directors  Declared  Vacant. 

The  Offices  of  the  several  directors,  heretofore  elected  by  the  several 
synods  who  have  had  control  of  the  said  Seminary,  are  hereby  declared 
vacant  from  and  after  the  date  of  the  adoption  of  this  constitution. 

Article  XL 

Of  Altering  the  Constitution. 

This  constitution  shall  not  be  altered,  amended,  added  to,  or  abrogated  in 
whole  or  in  part,  except  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  all  the  commissioners 
present  and  voting  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly. 


APPENDIX  F. 


THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  THE    PRESBYTERIAN    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY  OF 

THE  NORTHWEST,  AS  AMENDED    BY    THE    GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  OF 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH   IN  THE   UNITED   STATES,  AT 

ITS  SESSION  HELD   IN  DETROIT,  MICH.,  A.  D.  1872. 

Article  I. 
Of  the  Name  and  Object  of  the  Seminary. 

Sec.  I.  The  name  of  the  institution  shall  be  "  The  Presbyterian  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  the  Northwest." 

Sec.  2.  The  objects  of  the  Seminary  shall  be  to  instruct  candidates  for 
the  gospel  ministry  m  the  knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God,  contained  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  the  only  supreme  and  infallible 
rule  of  faith  and  life,  and  of  the  doctrine  and  institutes  of  worship  taught  in 
the  Scriptures  and  summarily  exhibited  in  the  Constitution  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  of  the  United  States;  to  cherish  in  them  by  all  the  means  of 
divme  appointment  the  life  of  true  godliness  ;  to  cultivate  in  them  the  gifts 
which  Christ,  the  Head  of  the  Church,  by  his  Spirit  confers  upon  those  whom 
he  calls  to  the  ministry,  and  to  impart  to  them,  so  far  as  may  be,  the  various 
learnmg  by  which  they  may  be  furnished  for  its  work,  to  the  end  tliat  there 
may  be  trained  up  a  succession  of  able,  faithful  and  godly  ministers  of  the 
divine  Word,  as  the  chief  agency,  under  God,  ordained  of  the  Church,  for  the 
gathering  and  perfecting  of  the  saints  in  this  life  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

Article  11. 
Of  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Sec.  I.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  consist  of  twenty  ministers  and 
twenty  ruling  elders,  of  whom  one-fourth,  or  five  ministers  and  five  elders, 
shall  be  chosen  by  said  Board  annually,  to  continue  in  office  four  years  and 
until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified  ;  and  the  Board  shall  also  have 
power  to  receive  resignations  and  declinations,  and  to  fill  all  vacancies  which 
may  occur  in  its  body  ;  all  of  these  elections,  however,  shall  be  subject  to  the 
veto  of  the  General  Assembly,  to  which  they  shall  be  reported  at  its  next 
meeting. 

Sec.  2.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  power  to  elect  and  duly  induct 
and  inaugurate  into  office  the  professors  of  the  Seminary,  to  receive  their  res- 
ignations ;  also  to  remove  them  from  office  ;  such  elections  and  removals  to 
be  subject  to  the  veto  of  the  General  Assembly.     The  Board  shall  also  have 

532 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1872.  533 

power  to  suspend  temporarily  a  professor  preliminary  to  and  pending  an  inves- 
tigation of  charges  against  his  conduct  or  doctrine. 

Sec.  3.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  the  superintendence  and  con- 
trol of  the  Seminary  and  its  funds  and  property. 

Sec  4.  '  Every  director,  before  taking  his  seat  as  a  member,  shall  subscribe 
the  following  engagement  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  viz.  :  "  I  do  sol- 
emnly promise,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of  this  Board,  that  I  will  faithfully 
execute  the  office  of  a  director  of  the  Presbyterian  Seminary  of  the  North- 
west, and  will  support  its  constitution  and  the  constitution  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  so  long  as  I  remain  in  this  office.'' 

Sec.  5.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  meet  once  in  every  year  at  the  place 
where  the  Seminary  is  located,  and  such  annual  meeting  shall  be  on  the 
Wednesday  immediately  preceding  the  close  of  the  Seminary  year,  unless 
the  Board  shall  appoint  another  time  ;  and  the  Board  may  meet  at  other 
times  and  places  on  its  own  adjournment,  and  on  extraordinary  occasions,  by 
the  call  of  the  president  or  other  officer  having  power  to  convene  it. 

Sec.  6.  Any  seven  directors  being  met  at  the  time  and  place  appointed 
shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business.  Any  two  directors 
so  met  may  adjourn  from  time  to  time  until  a  quorum  shall  be  present. 

Sec.  7.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  choose  annually  from  their  own 
members  a  president,  vice  president  and  a  secretary,  who  shall  hold  their 
offices  from  the  time  of  their  election  till  the  next  annual  meeting  and  until 
their  successors  shall  be  duly  appointed. 

Sec.  8.  The  president,  or  in  case  of  his  absence  the  vice  president,  shall 
preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Board  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  nat- 
urally belong  to  his  office  and  as  the  Board  shall  appoint.  He  may  convene, 
and  when  requested  by  any  seven  members  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  convene  the 
Board  ;  and  of  the  time  and  place  of  such  special  meeting,  and  the  business 
for  which  it  is  called,  he  shall  send  a  written  notice  by  mail  or  otherwise  not 
less  than  twenty  days  before  the  time  of  such  meeting. 

Sec. -9.  The  secretary  shall  keep  a  full  and  true  record  of  the  transactions 
of  the  Board,  and  shall  keep  all  books  of  records  and  papers  and  perform  such 
other  duties  as  the  Board  shall  direct. 

Sec.  10.  In  the  absence  of  any  officer  the  Board  may  appoint  some  other 
person  to  fill  his  place /w  teinpore. 

Sec.  II.  The  Board  may  make  rules  of  order  and  by-laws  not  incon- 
sistent with  this  constitution. 

Sec.  12.     The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  power  and  it  shall  be  their  duty  : 

1.  To  superintend,  either  by  itself  or  by  a  committee,  the  annyal  exam- 
mation  of  the  students,  and  to  appoint  such  other  services  in  connection  there- 
with as  it  may  think  proper. 

2.  To  provide  all  funds,  buildings,  libraries  and  other  means  necessary 
and  proper  for  the  use  of  the  Seminary ;  to  appoint  a  Board  of  Trustees  and 
fill  all  vacancies  therein,  and  to  instruct  and  direct  the  said  Board  in  respect 
to  the  investment,  custody,  management  and  disposal  of  all  funds  and  prop- 
erty of  the  institution  ;  to  fix  the  salaries  of  all  professors  and  other  officers ; 
and  by  itself,  or  the  Board  of  Trustees,  to  make  all  appropriations  of  money. 


534  HISTORY  OF  Mccormick  seminary. 

3,  To  make  annually  to  the  General  Assembly,  in  writing,  a  full  and 
faithful  report  of  the  whole  state  of  the  Seminary  and  of  the  transactions  of 
the  Board,  and  also  to  submit  their  records  when  required  for  the  Inspection 
of  the  Assembly. 

Article  III. 
Of  the  Professors. 

Sec.  I.  1st.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  any  professorship  in  the  Semi- 
nary except  a  member  in  full  communion  of  the  Presbyterian  Church ;  and 
no  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  professor  of  Theology  except  a 
regularly  ordained  minister  in  that  Church. 

2nd.  Every  professor,  before  he  enters  upon  the  execution  of  his  office, 
shall  subscribe  the  following  engagement,  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose, 
namely:  "  In  the  presence  of  God  and  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  this 
Seminary,  I  do  solemnly  profess  my  belief  that  the  Confesssion  of  Faith  and 
catechisms  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  contain  a  summary  and  true  exhibi- 
tion of  the  system  of  doctrine,  order  and  worship  taught  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, the  only  supreme  and  infallible  rule  of  faith,  and  my  approbation  of  the 
Presbyterian  form  of  church  government,  as  being  agreeable  to  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  do  promise  that  I  will  not  teach,  directly  or  indirectly,  anything 
contrary  to  or  inconsistent  with  the  said  confession  and  catechisms  or  the 
fundamental  principles  of  Presbyterian  church  government,  and  that  I  will 
faithfully  execute  the  office  of  a  professor  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Northwest." 

Sec.  2.  1st.  Each  professor  shall  have  power  to  conduct  the  course  of 
instruction  in  the  studies  assigned  to  his  department ;  to  preserve  order  and 
due  attention  therein ;  and  to  appoint  such  exercises  of  religious  worship  in 
connection  therewith  as  he  may  deem  proper. 

2nd.  Each  professor,  if  required,  shall  lay  before  the  Board  of  Directors  a 
true  and  full  statement  of  all  text-books  used  by  him,  and  of  his  whole 
method  of  instruction,  and  shall  treat  with  respectful  consideration  any  sug- 
gestions or  advice  which  the  Board  may  give. 

Sec.  3.  1st.  The  professors  of  the  Seminary  shall  constitute  a  faculty  of 
instruction  and  government  ;  they  shall  appoint  (unless  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors otherwise  order)  their  own  chairman  and  secretary,  and  on  every  question 
each  professor  shall  have  one  vote. 

2nd.  The  faculty  shall  meet  at  such  times  and  places  as  they  shall  ap- 
point, and  may  make  rule^and  by-laws,  not  inconsistent  with  this  constitu- 
tion, as  they  may  deem  proper. 

3rd.    The  faculty  shall  have  power  and  it  shall  be  their  duty  : 

(i.)  To  appoint  the  portion  of  time  and  the  particular  hours  that  the 
students  shall  attend  the  professors  respectively. 

(2.)  To  appoint  and  direct  all  exercises  to  be  performed  in  the  presence  of 
the  whole  Seminary  or  in  public. 

(3.)  To  appoint  the  time  at  which  all  the  students  shall  assemble  together 
for  divine  worship  and  to  direct  the  conducting  of  the  same. 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1872.  535 

(4.)  To  provide  the  students,  if  they  shall  deem  it  expedient,  with  preach- 
ing and  other  ordinances  of  worship  and  means  of  grace  on  the  Lord's  Day. 

(5,)  To  establish  rules  of  order,  decorum  and  duty  for  the  conduct  of  the 
students. 

(6.)  To  inquire  into  the  conduct  of  the  students,  and  to  admonish,  suspend 
or  dismiss  any  student  who  shall  be  found  propagating  error  in  doctrine,  to  be 
immoral  or  disorderly  in  conduct,  negligent  of  study  or  other  duties,  or  who 
shall  be,  in  their  judgment,  on  any  account  a  dangerous  or  unprofitable 
member  of  the  institution  ;  provided,  that  such  student  shall  have  opportunity 
to  be  reasonably  heard  in  his  own  defense,  and  that  the  faculty  shall  sit  with 
due  caution  and  a  tender  regard  to  his  rights  and  his  welfare. 

Sec.  4.  1st.  The  faculty  shall  keep  a  register,  in  which  shall  be  entered 
the  name  of  each  student,  his  residence,  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member; 
the  presbytery,  if  any,  of  which  he  is  a  candidate  ;  the  college,  if  any,  of 
which  he  is  an  alumnus ;  the  time  of  his  entering,  and  the  time  and  mode  of 
his  leaving  the  Seminary. 

2nd.  The  faculty  shall  keep  a  journal  of  their  proceedings,  which,  if 
required,  shall  be  laid  before  the  Board  of  Directors. 

3rd.  The  faculty  shall  make  a  report  of  the  state  of  the  Seminary  to  the 
Board  of  Directors  at  each  annual  meeting,  and  at  other  times  when  required 
by  the  Board.    , 

Article  IV. 

Of  the  Course  of  Studies. 

Sec.  I.  The  course  of  studies  shall  include  Biblical  languages,  literature, 
criticism  and  hermeneutics,  general  and  special  introduction  to  the  Scrip- 
tures, the  exegesis  of  so  many  of  the  principal  books  of  the  Scriptures  as  the 
time  shall  allow,  didactic  and  polemic  theology,  with  a  preliminary  review  of 
metaphysics,  psychology  and  ethics,  in  their  relations  to  theology,  the  con- 
stitution, polity  and  history  of  the  Church,  sacred  rhetoric,  pastoral  care  and 
missionary  instruction. 

Sec.  2.  The  full  course  of  studies  shall  occupy  three  sessions,  of  such 
length  as  the  Board  of  Directors  shall  order. 

Sec.  3.  Those  students  who  shall  have  regularly  pursued  the  prescribed 
course  of  studies  shall  be  admitted  to  an  examination  therein  by  the  faculty 
and  the  Board  of  Directors  or  a  committee  thereof,  and,  if  the  examination 
shall  be  sustained,  such  students  shall  receive  a  diploma  certifying  the  fact 
from  the  faculty,  with  the  consent  and  approval  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 

Article  V. 
Of  Personal  Religion. 

Sec.  I .  It  shall  be  regarded  by  all  connected  with  the  Seminary  as  an  ob- 
ject of  primary  importance  to  promote  a  high  grade  of  personal  godliness  in 
the  students,  as  being  an  essential  qualification  for  usefulness  in  the  ministry. 

Sec.  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  professors,  by  all  proper  means,  ex- 
plaining the  nature  of  true  godliness,  inculcating  the  obligation  to  eminent 
godliness  resting  upon  those  who  are  candidates  for  the  holy  ministr>',  and 


536  HISTORY  OF  McCORMICK  SEMINARY. 

indicating  the  means  of  promoting  it,  to  encourage  and  cherish  in  their 
pupils  its  life  and  power,  and  unreserved  consecration  of  themselves  to  God. 
Sec.  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  students,  each  remembering  his  high 
and  peculiar  obligations  to  holiness,  the  necessity  of  this  to  his  own  personal 
safety  and  acceptance  with  God  or  usefulness  in  the  ministry,  and  that  it  is  a 
matter  which,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  must  be  left  chiefly  with  himself  as 
a  concern  between  God  and  his  own  soul,  diligently,  earnestly  and  con- 
stantly to  maintain  and  promote,  by  all  the  divinely  appointed  means,  in  his 
own  heart  and  conduct,  the  spirit  of  true,  living  and  active  religion;  to 
observe  the  public  and  private  ordinances  of  divine  worship,  and  in  all  things 
to  have  a  conversation  becoming  their  Christian  relations  and  professions. 

Article  VI. 
Of  Admission. 

Sec.  I.  The  qualifications  required  in  students  for  admission  to  the  Semi- 
nary are  full  communion  in  some  branch  of  the  Christian  church,  a  good 
reputation  for  consistent  Christian  character,  a  regular  course  of  academic 
study,  of  which  evidence  shall  be  furnished  by  a  college  degree  or  by  exami- 
nation, and  if  from  another  theological  seminary,  a  written  certificate  of  good 
standing  and  honorable  dismission. 

Sec.  2,  Every  student  before  admission  to  the  Seminary*  shall  subscribe 
the  following  engagement,  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  namely  :  "  I  do 
solemnly  promise  that  I  will  diligently  and  faithfully  attend  on  all  the  instruc- 
tions and  exercises  of  this  Seminary,  observe  its  rules  of  conduct  relating  to 
students,  and  obey  the  lawful  requisitions  and  respect  the  admonitions  of  the 
professors  and  of  the  Board  of  Directors  while  I  shall  continue  a  student  of 
the  institution." 

Article  VII. 

Of  the  Seminary  Grounds,  Buildings  and  Library. 

The  faculty  shall  have  the  custody  and  control  of  the  Seminary  grounds, 
buildings  and  library,  which  shall  be  subject  to  such  regulations  as  they  may 
prescribe. 

Article  VIII. 

Of  the  Funds  and  Financial  Officers. 

Sec.  I .  All  permanent  funds  established  for  the  support  of  the  Seminary 
shall  be  sacredly  preserved  inviolate,  and  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  the  Board 
of  Directors,  the  Board  of  Trustees  or  any  person  to  withdraw  or  to  borrow  for 
any  purpose,  from  any  such  fund,  any  money,  securities  or  other  property, 
without  at  the  same  time  placing  to  the  credit  of  such  fund  a  value  clearly 
and  fully  equivalent. 

Sec.  2.  The  Board  of  Trustees,  which  shall  appoint  its  own  president, 
secretary  and  treasurer,  shall  have  the  custody  of  all  the  funds  and  property 
of  the  Seminary,  with  power  to  invest,  manage,  buy,  sell  and  otherwise  dis- 
pose of  the  same  for  the  use  of  the  Seminary,  in  any  manner  not  inconsistent 


CONSTITUTION  OF  1872.  537 

with  this  constitution,  and  subject  in  all  things  to  the  instructions  of  the  Board 
of  Directors. 

Sec.  3.  The  Board  of  Trustees  shall  appoint  a  treasurer,  who  shall  hold 
his  office  during  the  pleasure  of  the  Board,  and  whose  duty  it  shall  be,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Board,  to  keep  all  books  of  account  and  to  have  the  cus- 
tody of  all  such  books  of  account,  securities  and  other  papers  and  documents 
relating  to  the  finances,  and  of  all  funds  and  other  property  except  the  Semi- 
nary buildings,  the  grounds  connected  therewith  and  the  library,  and  to  pre- 
sent to  the  Board  annually,  and  oftener  when  required,  a  clear  and  full  report 
of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances,  and  of  the  transactions  of  the  current  year; 
and  he  shall  be  the  keeper  of  the  seal,  and  when  required  shall  execute  to  the 
Board  a  bond  in  such  penal  sum  and  with  such  securities  as  they  shall  pre- 
scribe, for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Sec.  4.  The  Board  of  Trustees  shall  make  to  the  Board  of  Directors  at 
the  annual  meeting,  and  at  other  times  when  required,  a  clear  and  full  report 
of  the  whole  state  of  the  finances,  and  of  the  transactions  of  the  current 
year,  or  any  part  thereof,  which  report  shall  be  transmitted  by  the  Board  of 
Directors  to  the  General  Assembly. 

Article  IX. 

Constitution,  How  Amended. 

This  constitution  may  be  altered  or  amended  by  a  vote  of  three-fourths 
of  the  directors  present  and  voting  at  a  regular  annual  meeting  of  the  Board, 
such  alteration  or  amendment  to  take  effect  and  be  in  force  only  when  the 
same  shall  be  approved  by  the  General  Assembly. 

Directors  Heretofore  Appointed. 

Resolved,  That  directors  heretofore  appointed,  whose  terms  of  service 
have  not  expired,  shall  serve  until  the  end  thereof,  and  until  their  successors 
are  elected  and  qualified,  and  directors  appointed  by  the  present  General 
Assembly  shall  serve  as  if  elected  and  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Directorsc 


